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THOMAS HOOKER
CONNECTICUT
AS A COLONY AND AS A
STATE, OR ONE OF THE
ORIGINAL THIRTEEN
BY
FORREST MORGAN
Editor in Chief
AS.SOCIAT^: EDITORS
SAMUEL HART, D. D. JONATHAN TRUMBULL
FRANK R. HOLMES ELLEN STRONG BARTLETT
\'OLl>fI. ONE
The Publishing Society of Connecticut
HARTFORD
1904
LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Two Copies Received
APR 14 1904
Copyright Entry
CLASS ou xxo. No.
COPY A
Copyright, 1904, By
The Publishing Society of Connecticut
A// Rights Reserved
PUBLICATION OFFICE
194 BOYLSTON STREET
BOSTON, MASS., U. S. A.
DEDICATED TO
THOMAS HOOKER
THE FOUNDER OF CONNECTICUT
INTRODUCTION
CONNECTICUT is a small English industrial
colony less than three centuries old, for more
than half that period merged in a vast federa-
tion covering half a continent. It never had a
war of its own except one brief campaign
against the savages on its own soil, which practically exter-
minated them. The great war which formed the federation
only grazed its borders: thanks to the blood of the Ironsides,
no memorable battlefields or sieges draw pilgrims to it, no
hostile force ever slept a night on its soil. The very spirit of
its defenders has robbed its memories of glow. None of the
later wars of the United States have come near it. Its oppres-
sions were potential rather than heavily actual ; its one tyrant
was a dutiful and humane English gentleman who menaced
no one's life or limb, nor to any alarming extent his property,
and out of whom to extract materials for a sufficiency of
patriotic abhorrence demands the obedient imagination of
childhood. It furnishes neither the throb of dramatic
achievement nor that of romantic suffering, neither of the
story of Napoleon nor the story of Ossian. The history of
such a body cannot have the picturesqueness, the brilliancy,
the charm that clings about an aged state whose roots are lost
in antiquity, whose early progress must be guessed out of
legend, whose existence is the prize of centuries of buffeting
on the world's chief stage, whose soil has been trodden by
scores of armies and drenched with the blood of fighters and
martyrs age after age.
None the less, it has an interest, a value, and an individu-
ality all its own. It is not a mere profitless record of the gath-
ering and material progress of a chance collection of human
7
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
beings, nowise different from other such collections, with no
common soul and no special problem. Every one who has
studied the history of American commonwealths is aware that
each has a moral physiognomy and a definite personality, as
recognizable as that of single human faces and human char-
acters; traceable in all its common actions, calculable in
almost every contingency. That of Connecticut will appear
in the following pages ; and it will require little perspicacity
to note the lineaments which differentiate it not alone from
New York or Pennsylvania, but almost more sharply from its
Puritan brethren in the rest of New England. The causes of
this unlikeness, as Sir Thomas Browne says of the Sirens'
songs and Achilles' pseudonym, though difficult, are not per-
haps impossible to trace; but they would need a history writ-
ten with that sole object steadily in view, and all the details
marshaled and subordinated thereto. This history cannot be
such a monograph; but it may furnish some materials for
one, and a word may be given to it here.
What the distinctive merits and influence of Connecticut
have been, the most acute intellect which has yet illuminated
American history has set forth with unsurpassable clearness.
Alexander Johnston has called attention to its thorough devel-
opment of democracy, not only in its general government
but its local independence, and its happy union of popular
control and municipal federation ; to the wonderful elasticity
of its system, which not only enabled it to expand into a con-
tinental one, but to form an ideal framework for orderly
civilized colonization; and to the energetic personal initia-
tive bred by its form of life and polity. But this is not quite
all. Its circumstances hav^e molded the action and feeling of
its leaders. It is not probable that its founders or their suc-
cessors were radically different from other Puritans: their
8
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
peculiarities must be largely due to the silent influences of
environment and policy. The cool, shrewd, and politic states-
manship, always avoiding a ciil de sac when possible, and
showing almost miraculous genius in evading it; rarely allow-
ing itself to be driven into a corner, watching its chance with
tireless patience to choose its own battle-ground, and then
striking with full force and in general victoriously ; never
acknowledging defeat and never boasting of victory, hating
self-advertisement above all things because enjoying more
rights unnoticed than might have been permitted on deliber-
ation ; giving even submission to law the aspect of submission
to force, in order at the first opportunity to deny any decision
of law; leaving the victor to claim such victory as he would,
but silently reaping the fruits itself; not often Quixotic, just
as little abject; practicing the wily diplomacy of the ''under
dog," but not safe to trample on, and ready in the last resort
to die for its rights; — these were no special creation or special
seelction, but the result of necessity and circumstances acting
on a sensible, stubborn, educable race. Virginians in Con-
necticut would have become Connecticut men; it is of course
patent that many of them never would have come to Connec-
ticut.
The above may be thought a rhetorical extravaganza.
Those will hardly take that view who recall how the men of
Connecticut, under a monarch whose councillors thought
democracy the one evil from which all others arise, exchanged
a worthless quitclaim based on a non-existent grant for a char-
ter of utter democracy, with another colony thrown in for
good measure; how, having beyond expectation led his mar-
tinet successor to drop the suit for vacating it, they balked
the king's agent from canceling it, and thus, leaving the
whole business hanging in air, waited firmly intrenched till
9
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the storm blew over; how they saw their whole property
system legally overturned and feudalism introduced, kept the
latter from gaining a foot of ground by settling all cases
out of court for a generation, and finally secured its repeal ;
how they managed the navigation laws with the most
anxiously careful and candid explanations why their solicitude
to obey produced no fruits; — on the other hand, how they
forbade the landing of Andros' soldiers at Saybrook, and
took their representatives to task for not resisting more
sternly ; how they cowed Fletcher into giving up the attempt
to make the king's commission effective ; how they colonized
their charter lands hundreds of miles away in the teeth of
powerful claimants close at hand, lost their hold only by a
frightful Indian massacre and scattering of the colonists, and
even then made a substantial salvage from the wreck; how
they acted under the Stamp Act, in the Revolution, in the
Civil War. Their stage was small, the stake was not life or
death, their minor size gave them good cards in the game as
well as weak ones; but they played the hand with consum-
mate skill to turn their very weakness into strength, their
stake was the future growth and individual career which is
the most jealously prized possession of each, they set the stage
so perfectly that the properties proved fit for a continent, and
the qualities they displayed were not dwarfed into meanness
on the larger field.
Other elements are less explicable, and some of them it
shares at least with its New England fellows. Connecticut
can claim no monopoly of mechanical ingenuity or mercantile
capacity. Yet contemporaries are the best judges of those
traits which do not appear in statistics; and it is not likely
that his neighbors made the "Connecticut Yankee" the
synonym for manual dexterity and inventiveness even among
10
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
a dexterous and Inventive people, and for crafty playing upon
human weakness and vanity to gain a business advantage,
without some colorable reason for the choice. The latter,
indeed, has a not remote affinity to Connecticut colonial poli-
tics which forbids us to term it a libel without versimilitude.
But it is well to remember that while a caricature presupposes
a likeness in feature or expression, it also presupposes a gross
exaggeration. If it is not blind invention, neither is it a por-
trait. As to the further insinuation — perpetuated in the
jovial acceptance by Connecticut men themselves of the lum-
bering witticisms concerning wooden nutmegs and their like —
that their wares were worthless if not fraudulent, this is not
even a tradition, but the half-envious fling of men cajoled
into unmeant purchases, and has been kept alive by the sub-
jects and not the makers. Great businesses are not built up on
small tricks; and people did not buy Connecticut wares one
year because their friends had found them unserviceable or
counterfeit the year before. That these wares have spread
all over the world, that little villages with a few hundred
or few score of people monopolized the product of important
articles for half the globe, that other manufactures have built
up sections crowded with considerable industrial cities, is evi-
dence of persistent quality which outweighs any number of
clumsy jests; jests which would have died with their makers
had not the victims been too conscious of their absurdity even
to be annoyed. It is not the first nor perhaps the hundredth
time in history that a nickname of opprobrium has been
accepted either as a badge of honor, or of genial derision for
a futile dart; and the American's readiness to appreciate and
adopt a joke upon himself is based upon a serene confidence in
his own net worth and capacity.
It would be even more fatuous to claim precedence for
11
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
•Connecticut in the moral elements of society, which furnish
after all the largest satisfactions, the solidest hopes, the most
enduring guaranties, not less for societies than for their com-
ponents. The moral compensation-balance of the world
leaves less room for arrogance than many suppose; and one's
underestimate of his own deficiencies will not lack at least
sufficient correction from others' overestimate of them. But
the permanent acceptance of the title "Land of Steady Hab-
its," as a fair characterization, implies a moral as well as
intellectual estimate which must be acknowledged as just, and
\vhich has its admirable as well as deprecable side. Con-
necticut has certainly not been an emotional community; not
easy to sweep off its feet by new doctrines, nor to enlist in new
social or political experiments; slow to give up ways which
at least enable it to do its work with the least possible waste
of time in studying the machinery. But conservatism of life
may imply conservatism of mind or the exact reverse. In
societies as in men, tenacious personal habits often accompany
the most alert intellectual receptivity, because they are the
conditions of having time for it. The body travels in a rut
that the mind may not travel in a rut; the spirit searching
for truth, and ready to welcome each new avatar, is glad to
have its fashions of material life fixed with the minimum of
fluctuation, to be quit of their importunity. In this regard,
Connecticut need not be ashamed of comparisons. Not alone
has it been among the foremost in hospitality to new prac-
tical inventions, and aptness at devising them, but it has been
as ready to give open hearing and just weighing to new ideas
in science, sociology, or theology. If its pulpit has broken
away less utterly than some others from the ancient moorings,
it is partly because that Puritan pulpit itself has left little
need of secession to preserve intellectual veracity, has
12
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
broadened and liberalized under great leaders till the rank
and file have felt small desire to seek strange gods. Connec-
ticut has produced noble and influential philanthropists; it
has had great literary offspring, has borrowed others and
given them opportunity, and has furnished other States with
its own. The steadiest of all its habits has been that of produc-
ing or developing men and women whose fame belongs to the
nation or the world. F. M.
13
SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 1
FORERUNNERS OF CIVILIZATION 33-44
Vikings of the North — Vineland — Edict of Pope Alexander
VI — Explorations of the Cabots — Discoveries of Verrazzani
and Cartier — Gosnold's Arrival on the Massachusetts Coast
— Hudson Sails into New York Bay — Martin Pring and Cap-
tain \Vaymouth Despatched to verify Gosnold's Descrip-
tions — Second Colony of Virginia — Settlement at Sagada-
hock River — Captain John Smith's Arrival on the New Eng-
land Coast — Naming of the Country — Dutch East India
Company claims Manhattan Island — Remonstrances of the
English — Pilgrims decide to Emigrate to the New World —
Sailing of the Mayflower and Speedwell — Arrival on the
Coast of Massachusetts — Colony of New Plymouth — James I
grants a patent to the Grand Council of Plymouth — Arrival
of the Puritans — Incorporation of the Governor and Com-
pany of Massachusetts Bay — Influences on Connecticut Set-
tlements.
CHAPTER II
THE CONNECTICUT INDIANS 45-62
Origin of the American Indians — Members of the Algon-
kian family — Adrian Block sails up the Connecticut River —
Tributes paid by resident Indians to the Iroquois Nation —
Population of the Indians — Nipmucks— Western Nehantics
— Hammonassetts — Guilford Indians — Quinnipiacs — Paugus-
setts and Wepawagus — Potatucks — Unkowas — Sepores or
Tunxis Indians — Podunks and Poquonocs — Sicaoggs —
Naiogs and Hoccanums — Pequots — Manners and Customs of
the Indians — Hunting and Agricultural Pursuits — Garments
and Currency — Dwelling places of the Red Men — Amuse-
ments — Language — Criminal Punishments — Social Distinc-
tions — Civil Government — Preparations for War — Religion
and Marriages — Sterility of their Women — Funeral Cere-
monies — Moral and General Character of the Connecticut
Indians — Discussion of their Dispossession from the Soil.
17
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
CHAPTER III
THE WARWICK PATENT 63-
The Second Patent to Connecticut Territory— Membership
of the Council of Plymouth— President Robert Rich, Earl
of Warwick— Feoffment Deed to Lord Say and Seele. Lord
Brook and others— Text of the Warwick Patent— Legality of
the Document— No Rights of Government, or Power to
Create a Corporation conveyed— Original Grantees— Arrival
from England of Emigrants to Settle the Territory— Ap-
pointment of Winthrop as Governor of the Connecticut Riv-
er— His Arrival at Boston— Erection of a Fort at the Mouth
<,f the River— Dutch Ship appears before the Fort— Lion
Gardener engaged as Engineer— Arrival of George Fen-
wick with a party of English Gentlemen— Duke of Hamil-
ton's claim— House of Hamilton— Power of Attorney given
to Edward Randolph— Claim barred by the Statute of Lim-
itations.
CHAPTER IV
DUTCH AND ENGLISH 79-97
Causes for the Settlement of New Netherlands by the Dutch
—Formation of the New Netherlands Company— Its Succes-
sor the Dutch West India Company— Peter Minuit ap-
pointed Director General— Attempts of the Pilgrims to Ob-
tain a Share of the Trade with the Indians— Visit of the Di-
rector General's Secretary to Plymouth— Van Twiller Ap-
pointed to succeed Minuit— Purchases of Connecticut Ter-
ritory by the Dutch — House of Good Hope— Arrival of Wil-
liam Holmes and Company — Evacuation of the Territory
demanded by the Dutch Authorities— Unsuccessful Hostile
Campaign— Transfer of Land Purchases to the Massachu-
setts Bay Company, by the Plymouth Colony— Encroach-
ments of the English on Dutch Territory— Hugh Peters ap-
pointed Agent to the States-General— His Mission Unsuc-
cessful—His Dutch Excellency Kieft succeeded by Peter
Stuyvesant— Seizure of a Vessel in New Haven Harbor —
Stuyvesant's Visit to Hartford — Commissioners appointed
to Settle Boundary Lines — New Haven Colony attempts to
make Settlements on Delaware Bay— Opposition by the
Dutch — Stuyvesant accused of Inciting Indians to Exterm-
inate the English— He Demands an Investigation— War
Threatened between the English and Dutch Colonists —
Cessation of Hostilities — Declaration of Peace between
England and Holland — Dutch Land and Properties in Con-
necticut, sold under an Act of Sequestration.
18
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
CHAPTER V
FIRST SETTLEMENTS 99-109
Wah-qui-ma-cut's visit to the Massachusetts Colonies — Ed-
ward Winslow views the Connecticut Valley — John Oldham
and Companions among the Early Pioneers — Dissolution of
the Council of Plymouth — Great increase in the Population
of Massachusetts Colonies — Arrival of Nonconformist Di-
vines and their Congregations — Thomas Hooker, John
Haynes and others join the Massachusetts Bay Colony —
The Patriarch of New England — Hooker's endeavors to Re-
move to the Connecticut Valley — Deadlock on the Petition
in the General Court — Settlement of Wethersfield by Parties
from Watertown, Massachusetts — Settlement at Agawam —
Severe Winter of 1635-6 — Arrival of Mr. Hooker and Com-
pany — Colonists of the English Farming Class.
CHAPTER VI
THE PEQUOT WAR 111-137
Indians' distrust of the Early English Navigators — Conspir-
acy of 1630 — Dissensions between Sassacus and Uncas —
Locations of the Pequots — Rebellion of Uncas — Sassacus'
distrust of the Whites — Murder of Captain Stone and his
Crew — Sassacus' Overtures to the English — English demand
the Surrender of Stone's Murderers — Treaty consummated by
the English between the Pequots and Narragansetts — Mur-
der of John Oldham — Captain Gallop's Revenge — Massa-
chusetts despatches Expedition under John Endicott — They
land upon Block Island — Endicott Arrives at Saybrook —
Reinforced by Soldiers under Gardener — Expedition an-
chors at the Mouth of the Thames River — Both Banks of the
River ravaged by Endicott's Army — Pequots attempt to
Strengthen their Alliance with Neighboring Indians — Roger
Williams forms a League between Narragansetts and Eng-
lish — Depredations by the Pequots at Saybrook and Weth-
ersfield — Connecticut General Court raises Ninety Men —
Captain John Mason in Command — Sailing of the Expedi-
tion — Arrival at Saybrook — Action taken by Massachusetts
Bay and Plymouth Colonies — Connecticut Troops set Sail
for NarragansettBay — Attack on thePequot's Fort — Mason's
Command Victorious — Return Home of the Little Army —
Flight of the Pequots — Massachusett's Army of Extermina-
tion — Their Arrival in the Pequot's Country — Massacre at
the Swamp — Stoughton joined by Captain Mason with Forty
Men — Pequots surrounded in a Swamp — Sassacus' Flight to
the Mohawks — Pequots entirely Annihilated — Beheading of
Sassacus — Division of the Spoils of War — Justification of the
War.
19
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
CHAPTER VII
CIVIL GOVERNMENT AND THE FUNDAMENTAL OR-
DERS 139-155
Establishment by Law of the Church of England — The Sep-
aratists — English Reformers called Puritans — Disciples of
these beliefs Emigrate to America — Political Privileges of
the first Connecticut Settlers derived from Massachusetts —
Their Allegiance to Massachusetts Bay Colony renounced —
First General Court of the River Plantations — Agawam rep-
resented—Change in Name of the Three Settlements — The
defection of Agawam — Fundamental Orders adopted — Sev-
erance of Church and State — Authorship of the Orders at-
tributed to Roger Ludlow — First Constitution of Connecti-
cut
CHAPTER VIII
EARLY CONNECTICUT GOVERNORS 157-163
Governor Haynes the First Governor — His Birthplace — The
Second Governor — George Wyllys the Third Governor —
First Election of Thomas Welles to fill the Office — His Suc-
cessor John Webster — John Winthrop's first Term — The
Fundamental Orders Amended — Purchase of the Saybrook
Fort by the Colony — Attempts of Connecticut to extend
her Limits.
CHAPTER IX
THE NEW HAVEN COLONY 165-180
Quinnipiac — The Red Hills — Arrival of John Davenport
with his congregation at Boston — Massachusetts Colony
attempt to Retain the Emigrants — Explorations of Theo-
philus Eaton and Members of the Party, of the Connecticut
Coast — Winter spent at Quinnipiac — Arrival of John Daven-
port with balance of Congregation — The First Sunday — Pre-
liminary Agreement Adopted— Purchases of Lands from the
Indians — Arrival of Yorkshire Emigrants — Settlement of
Milford and Guilford — Preliminary Work of laying the
foundation of Church and State — The House of Wisdom —
Settlement of Stamford — Southold comes under the Juris-
diction of New Haven — Formation of an Embryo Repub-
lic — General Assembly to consist of Two Branches — Con-
currence of both Branches required to Make an Act Public
Law — Court of Magistracy — Settlement of Branford — Com-
mercial Enterprises of the Colony — Governors and Deputy
Governors — The Regicides — Their Arrival at New Haven
— Providence Hill — Their Removal to Massachusetts — Trou-
ble in Greenwich.
20
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
CHAPTER X
THE UNITED COLONIES OF NEW ENGLAND 181-201
Object of Consolidation — Population of the Colonies — Fran-
chise extended to the Freemen — The Union agitated in 1638
— Constitution of New Netherlands taken as a Model —
Massachusetts' Objections — First Meeting of Delegates —
Rhode Island not recognized as an Independent Colony — Pre-
amble adopted — Twelve Articles of Agreements ratified —
Representation from each Colony — The Law of Extradition
exemplified — New England Congress possessed no Execu-
tive Power — First Regular Meeting — Claim for Precedence
made by the Massachusetts Representatives — Establishment
of American National Highways — Calling of Extra Sessions
— John Winthrop, Jr., with other Petition to be placed under
the Jurisdiction of Massachusetts — Massachusetts Complains
of Equal Representation in the Body — The Commissioners
visited by Ambassadors from the French Governor — Debate
on the Consolidation of the Connecticut Colonies — Last An-
nual Meeting held at Hartford— Advisability of Re-organiza-
tion considered — The Adoption of New Articles of. Agree-
ment — Continuous Session of Ten Weeks — Death of John
Winthrop — Last Meeting held at Hartford — Robert Treat
presiding Officer.
CHAPTER XI
WITCHCRAFT IN CONNECTICUT 203-229
Number of Lives taken — Twenty-eight Persons indicted in
Connecticut and New Haven — Judge instead of Jury Trials
in New Haven — Treatment of the Quakers — Citations from
the Mosaic Code — The Connecticut Law of 1642 — The New
Haven Statue of 1655 — The First Capital Case — Statement
from Winthrop's Journal — First Execution — Uncas' Peti-
tion — Indictment found against John Carrington and Wife —
Their Execution — Goodwives Basset and Knapp — Ludlow
accuses Mrs. Staples of Witchcraft — Defamation Suit
brought against Ludlow — The Case brought in New Haven
General Court — Witch Tests — The Case of Elizabeth God-
man — Nicholas Bayly and Wife apprehended — William
Meaker charged with Bewitching Pigs — Governor Win-
throp's decision on Goodwife Garlicke's Case — Witchcraft
Cases at Saybrook — Cases of 1662 — Ann Cole the Religious
Melancholiac — Mrs. Seager indicted Three Times — Her
removal to Rhode Island — Nathaniel Greensmith and his
Wife Rebecca — The Indictment of the Hartford Particular
Court — Execution of the Greenmans — Mary Barnes found
Guilty and Executed — Accusations against Catharine Har-
rison — Salem Craze of 1692 — Special Court held in Fairfield
— Indictment of Mercy Disborough. Elizabeth Clawson,
Mrs. Staples and Goody Miller — ?ilercy Disborough found
Guilty — Pardoned by the Governor — Witchcraft Case at
Wallingford — A Case as late as 1724 — Comparisons drawn
between England and New England.
21
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
CHAPTER XII
INDIAN TROUBLES FROM 1640 to 1675 231-244
Troubles between the Sowhea^ and Wethersfield Planters—
Pequots build a Village on Paucatuck River— Expedition
under Captain jchn Mason drives them from the Territory—
Uncas ferments Continual Warfare— Alliance between Un-
cas and the English— Sequassen, the Rival of Uncas— Un-
cas invades Sequassen's Territory— Narragansetts declare
War against the Mohegans— Battles at Great Plain— Capture
of Miantonomo— Uncas delivers him to the Authorities at
Hartford— Miantonomo's Death Sentence— His Death— In-
dian Warfare at New Netherlands— Dutch Governor Kieft's
dastardly Massacre of Indians— Confederacy formed by Hud-
son River Indians— Death of Anne Hutchinson— Captain
John Underbill in command of the Dutch Forces— The War
ended— Hostilities again Break out between the Narragan-
setts and Mohegans— War declared against the Narragan-
setts by the United Colonies of New England— New Treaty
of Peace signed— Plot of Sequassen to Murder the Execu-
tives of Connecticut— Termination of the Indian Warfare —
Code of Laws for Pequot Indians.
CHAPTER XIII
THE ROYAL CHARTER 245-253
The General Assembly of?er Allegiance to Charles II— Gov-
ernor Winthrop's appointment as Agent — New Haven Pro-
claims her Allegiance to the King— Winthrop's Arrival in
England— His Instructions— Winthrop Obtains a Charter —
The Royal Charter— Names of the Patentees— The Charter
Recognized as a Continuation of the Government already
Established— Arrival of the First Copy of the Charter in
America — Custodians appointed.
CHAPTER XIV
THE UNION OF CONNECTICUT AND NEW HAVEN 255-263
Dissensions in New Haven Colony — The Inhabitants tender
their Persons and Estates to the Colony of Connecticut-
Amicable Union of the Colonies suggested — Violently op-
posed by Leading Citizens of the New Haven Colony — Pro-
ceedings suspended until the Return of Winthrop — Petition
to the King prepared by New Haven — Winthrop assures
their Messenger that the Colony shall Suffer no Annoyance
— Decree of New England Congress — The New Haven Case
Stated — New Haven Finally unites with Connecticut — The
Last General Court of New- Haven.
99
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
CHAPTER XV
KING PHILIP'S WAR 265-272
Death of Massasoit — The Wampanoags' Territory — The Old
Chieftain succeeded by Alexander — His Death — English ac-
cused of Poisoning Him — Alexander's successor Philip —
Murder of John Sausaman — Connecticut's Red Men im-
pressed by Former Lessons — Mistakes of the Massachusetts
Authorities — Treat's Expedition — Engagement at Bloody
Brook — Dissatisfaction amongst the Colonies — The Deser-
tion of the Springfield Indians — Massacre of the Whites pre-
vented by Treat's Command — Measures taken by the Gen-
eral Assembly — Narragansetts become Allies of the Wam-
panoags — The New England Congress raises an army —
Indian Fight in the Swamp — Connecticut's losses — Capture
of the Chief of the Narragansetts — Treat elected Deputy
Governor — Major Talcott appointed Chief Commander — The
Wabaquesset County raided — Battle at Stockbridge — Death
of King Philip — Connecticut's disbursements.
CHAPTER XVI
INDIAN TITLES AND MOHEGAN LAND TROUBLES. .. .273-289
Territory purchased from the Aboriginees — Indian grants of
Early Settled Towns — Laws for the Purchase and Occupan-
cy of Lands — Land Transactions in Southern part of the Col-
ony — Purchases made of the Tunxis Indians — Also in the
Housatonic and Naugatuck Valleys — Other Purchases —
Agreement with Uncas — Major John Mason as Guardian of
the Indians — Uncas' grants in 1661-5 — Death of Attawanhood
— Death of Uncas — Mason's Deed to the Mohegans — The
Sequestered Lands — Mohegan's claims to Territory — Owen-
eco succeeds Uncas — Mohegan's Memorial presented to
Queen Anne — Royal Commission appointed — Connecticut
refuses to Present her Claims — Conveyances of Ben Uncas
and others — Caesar succeeds Oweneco — His Death — Major
Ben Uncas selected as his Successor — Holding of second
Royal Commission — Withdrawal of the New York Commis-
sioners — Commission re-organized — Decision rendered fav-
orable to Connecticut — Appeal taken by Mohegans to the
King's Privy Council — Commission of 1743 — In session Sev-
enteen Days — Decision rendered Revoking Decree of 1705 —
An Appeal taken — The Lord Commissioners decide in fav-
or of Connecticut — The Indian Census of 1900.
23
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
CHAPTER XVII
THE ORGANIZATION OF TOWNS AND COUNTIES. .. .291-311
The Town a unit of Civil Organization— Connecticut's Pop-
ulation in 1637— The Town Tribunals— A System of Town
Records established— Settlements at Stratford, Fairfield.
Guilford and Milford— Farmington settled— Stamford settled
in 1641— Naming of Greenwich— Mr. Pierson's Congregation
form a Settlement at Branford — Founding of New London —
Naming of Middletown and Norwalk — Settlement of Nor-
wich and Stonington— The First Organization of Counties-
Towns incorporated along the Connecticut River — VValling-
ford, Simsbury and Woodbury made Towns— Derby and
Waterbury — Incorporation of Glastenbury and Windham —
Preston and Lebanon organized — Connecticut at the open-
ing of i8th Century— Plainfield and Canterbury — Danbury
receives Town Privileges — Colchester. Groton and Mansfield
created— Hebron named for a Palestine City — Killingly and
Durham — Ridgefield and Coventry incorporated — Newtown
and New Milford become Towns — Pomfret, Ashford, Tolland
iind Voluntown — Litchfield named for an Episcopal City —
Bolton becomes a Town— Formation of Windham Count}^ —
Wellington and East Haddam — New Towns created in the
Northwestern part of the Colony — Boundary troubles with
Massachusetts — Formation of Litchfield County — Stafford
represented in General Assembly — Norfolk and Hartland —
Chatham named — Redding and Winchester — Connecticut
divided into Seventy-two Towns — Population.
CHAPTER XVIII
BOUNDARY TROUBLES WITH RHODE ISLAND AND
NEW YORK 313-325
New England Congress establishes Mystic River as a
Boundary line between Massachusetts and Connecticut —
This disregarded by Connecticut — Rhode Island's Charter —
Decision of the Royal Commission — Rhode Island's offer to
leave Boundary disputes to Legal Tribunal — Her Appeal to
the King^ — Sir Edmund Andros as a political Factor — Earl
of Bellomont appointed Referee — Agreement of 1703— De-
cision of the Privy Council in 1727 — Boundary disputes be-
tween Connecticut and New YorE — The Duke of York Title
— English take possession of New Netherlands — Connecti-
cut extends Greetings to His Majesty's Honorable Commis-
sion — Southold and Southampton pass from the Control of
the Colony — Lovelace Visits Hartford — A Monthly Mail in-
stituted — Dutch Fleet enters New York Harbor — English
again in Possession — Major Andros appointed Provisional
Governor — His appearance at Saybrook — Captain Bull's defi-
ance — New York Claims to Rye, Greenwich and Stamford —
24
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Appointment of a Commission — Ridgeville Angle — Equiva-
lent Lands — The Rebellion of Rye and Bedford — Death of
Governor Winthrop — William Leete his Successor — Robert
Treat as Governor.
CHAPTER XIX
THE ROYAL GOVERNOR 3^:7-345
The Lords of the Committee of Trade and Plantations —
"Duke's Laws" — Appointees of James II — The King's Policy
— Randolph's Methods— Connecticut's Enemies — Donegan's
Letter to the Duke — Death of Charles II — Connecticut Ac-
knowledges James II — James' attempt to Vacate the Royal
Charter — Instructions to Randolph — Writs of Quo War-
ranto — Randolph advises the Surrender of the Charter- — Un-
appropriated Lands divided among the Towns — Randolph
serves the Writs — Divisions in Connecticut — William Whit-
ing appointed the Colony's Agent at London — Andros de-
mands the Charter — Treat's Diplomacy — Andros sends Two
Commissioners to Connecticut — Andros appears at Hartford
— Disappearance of the Charter — Connecticut annexed to
Andros' Government — Appointment of Officials — Griev-
ances under Andros' Government — TheFIight of James II
to France — Connecticut joyfully proclaims the Sovereign-
ty of William and Mary.
CHAPTER XX
FIRST AND SECOND INTER-COLONIAL WARS 347-361
War declared between England and France — New York
Governor appeals to Connecticut for Assistance — Captain
Bull's Company dispatched to Albany — Massacre at Schnec-
tady — Montreal Expedition — Fitz John Winthrop in Com-
mand — Winthrop's Arrest and Escape — Connecticut's re-
sponses for Troops — Her Disbursements — Fitz John Win-
throp elected Governor — Changes made in Formation of
General Assembly — War of Spanish Succession — Dudley and
Cornbury as Royal Governors — Their Attempts to dismem-
ber Connecticut — Queen's Council sustains the Royal Char-
ter — Saltonstall succeeds Winthrop as Governor — Troops
raised at the Request of Queen Anne — Unsuccessful Expe-
dition against Montreal — Finances of the Colony — Capture
of Port Royal— Hovenden Walker's luckless Expedition —
Treaty of Utrecht — Thirty Years of Peace — Expenditures of
Connecticut — Joseph Talcott becomes Governor.
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
CHAPTER XXI
THIRD INTER-COLONIAL WAR 363-375
"The War of Jenkins' Ear"— Formation of the Colony's Mi-
litia—Connecticut raises looo Men for the Jamaica Cam-
paign—New Tenors— Arrival of the English Armament-
Cartagena— Jonathan Law as Governor— French attempt to
Re-capture Port Royal— New England Expedition against
Louisbourg— Surrender of that Fortress— Connecticut's
fresh Issue of New Tenors— Peace Treaty signed at Aix-la-
Chapelle — Roger Wolcott elected Governor — Commission-
ers from each Colony meet at Albany — The Royal Gover-
nors favor a Union of the Colonies— Franklin's Plan— Oppo-
sition of Connecticut's Delegates— The Crown's disapproval
of the Plan — Wolcott succeeded by Thomas Fitch as Gover-
nor—Fitch takes an Oath to enforce the Stamp Act— This
results in his Defeat for a Thirteenth Term.
CHAPTER XXII
FOURTH INTER-COLONIAL WAR 377-394
Final Struggle between France and England for Suprema-
cy — Population of Canada compared to the English Settle-
ments—Campaign of 1755— Dieskau attacks the English at
Lake George— Defeated by Gen. Lyman— Earl of Loudon as
Viceroy— The English Army rendezvous at Albany — Wash-
ington's first visit to Connecticut — Montcalm attacks Fort
William Henry — Atrocities Committed — The inactivity of
General Webb— Campaign of 1758 — General Abercrombie as
Commander-in-Chief — Connecticut responds to Pitt's call
for Troops— New Bills of Credit issued— English Ministry
plan three Campaigns — Death of Lord Howe — Unsuccess
ful Attempt on Ticonderoga — Mrs. Nabbycombe— Putnam
taken Prisoner — Amherst in command of the Army — Con-
necticut raises her Quota of Troops — The Bloodless Vic-
tories of Ticonderoga and Crown Point — The Army's inac-
tivity — Subjugation of Canada decided upon — Campaign of
1760 — Putnam assists Amherst to enter Canada — West In-
dies Expedition — The Emission of Bills of Credit — Standard
of Values established — The Treaty of Paris ratified.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE BLUE LAWS 395-421
The phrase applied to Legal Code of New Haven — Gener-
al History of Connecticut — Its Author — A Study of Peters —
Scholars believed that They were invented — Large-
26
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ly taken from Neal's History of New England — The
Blue Laws forty-five in Number — A Digest of these Laws —
They should not be called Forgeries — Kissing upon Charles
River and Trolley Parties in Philadelphia subject to Local
Ordinances — Daily Life little disturbed by Criminal Codes —
New Haven Colony overthrown by Internal Discontent.
CHAPTER XXIV
EDUCATION AND YALE COLLEGE 423-446
The Settlers of New England largely University Gradu-
ates — Attempt to establish a College at New Haven — Gov-
ernor Hopkins' bequests — School System established in Con-
necticut in 1644 — Maintenance of the Schools — Subdivisions
— The School of the Church established — First Meeting of
the Trustees — Rev. Noadiah Russell appointed Librarian —
A Charter obtained — Rev. Abraham Pierson chosen Rec-
tor — First Student — First Commencement — Removal to New
Haven — College named Yale — A Resident Rector appointed
— Troubles in regard to Episcopacy — Rev. Elisha Williams
choosen Rector — Gifts from Dean Berkeley — Rev. Thomas
Clap becomes Rector — Adoption of a Code of Laws — So-
cial Distinctions Maintained in College Catalogues — A New
Charter Obtained — Connecticut Hall erected — Theological
Chair established — Additional Buildings — Professorship of
Mathematics and Natural Philosophy established — Rev. Ezra
Stiles elected President — Various Donations — State Offi-
cials become Members of the Corporation — The Erection of
Union Hall — Death of President Stiles.
CHAPTER XXV
CONNECTICUT'S SETLEMENTS IN PENNSYLVANIA. . .447-469
Bancroft's Estimate of Population — The Desire for Emigra-
tion — Wyoming and New Hampshire Grants — The Connect-
icut Susquehanna Company — Lands purchased from the
Iroquois — The Delaware Company — The Protest of the
Pennsylvania Proprietors — Settlement made at Cushatunk —
Settlers take up lands in the Wyoming Valley — The death of
Tedeuscung — Whites accused of his Murder by the Dela-
wares— Indian Massacre — The Pennamite Wars — Arrival of
Captains Butler, Durkee and Ransom — Pennsylvania ap-
points a Chief Executive Directory — Connecticut Settlers
arrested — The Journey to Easton — Capture of Fort Durkee —
Arrival of Fresh Settlers from Connecticut — Wilkesbarre
named — Pennsylvanians build Fort Wyoming — End of the
First Pennamite War — Connecticut Settlers victorious — Pop-
ulation increased to Two Thousand — Territory Erected in-
ty — Second Pennamite War.
to the Town of Westmoreland — Annexed to Litchfield Coun-
ty-Second Pennamite War.
27
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
CHAITER XXVI
FXCL nSI ASTICAL MATTERS .471-486
Opposition to the Established Church in England — Puritans
and Independents — The Parish Way — The Church Way —
Differences between the Fundamental Orders and the First
Compact of New Haven — A fully organized Church — Dif-
ferences among Religious Trustees — Controversies on Bap-
tism — The Half Way Covenant — The Westminster Confes-
sion — The Saybrook Platform — Strict Congregationalists or
Separatists — "Standing Order" — The Ecclesiastical Taxes
allowed to "Sober Dissenters" — Establishment of the Church
of England — Religious Differences at Yale College — The
Great Awakening — Jonathan Edwards — George Whitefield
and James Davenport — The Old and New Lights — Indian
Revivals — Jonathan Barber's Missionary Work — Samson
Occum — The Lebanon School — Dartmouth College estab-
lished.
CHAPTER XXVII
THE COLONIAL JURISPRUDENCE 487-499
Indian Name of the Colony — Its Orthography — The General
Court — The Particular afterwards the Quarter Court — The
Inferior Judicial Bodies — General Court becomes the Gen-
eral Assembly — Laws of Marriage and Divorce — First Meet-
ing place of the General Assembly — Erection of the First
Assembly House — The Court of Assistants — Formation of
County Courts — The Superior Court organized — Primog-
eniture cast out from New England — The Public Seal — Its
Motto — Armorial Bearings of Connecticut.
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE INTERiS^^eJl'AL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE COL-
ONY 501-S14
New England Colonists engage in Slave Traffic — Shipment
of Pequot Captives to the West Indies — The African Corner
— Value of Slaves — Agitation at New London — Mineral De-
posits — Governor Winthrop's Grant — Copper found at Sims-
bury and Wallingford — Granby Coppers — Simsbury Mines
as a Prison — Iron Mines opened at Salisbury — Bog Ore in
Tolland and Windham Counties — Magnetite along the Coast
— Early Development of Manufacturing — Home Gov-
ernment Protective Laws — Iron Works established at
New Hai'en — Silk Culture — Connecticut's Commercial Trade
28
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
—The Merchant Marine Fleets of the Colony— Ei-ht
Shipping Ports in 1/53— Shipbuilding— Increase of the Shlp-
P'.ng Interests— The Last Report made to the Board of Trade
and Plantations— Transportation throughout the Colony—
The Monthly Mail— The Introduction of Stage Coache''^—
\\'!lham Pitkin Elected Governor.
•29
ILLUSTRATIONS
Hooker, Thomas Frontispiece
Andros, Sir Edmund Facing p. 336
Davenport, John Facing p. 168
Johnson, D. D., Samuel Facing p. 482
Peters, Hugh Facing p. 88
Philip, King Facing p. 268
Saltonstall, Gurdon Facing p. 356
Saltonstall, Sir Richard Facing p. 72
Smith, J ohn Facing p. 38
Stiles, Ezra Facing p. 440
Stuyvesant, Peter Facing p. 194
The Emigration to Connecticut Facing p. 108
The Pequot War Facing p. 130
Winslow, Edward Facing p. 102
Winthrop, Fitz John Facing p. 350
Winthrop, John, of Connecticut Facing p. 160
Winthrop, John, of Massachusetts Facing p. 240
Yale, Eiihu Facing p. 432
31
THE ORIGINAL THIRTEEN COLONIES
CHAPTER I
Forerunners of Civilization
WHILE it is not within the scope of a work
of this character to give the historical
events preceding the settlement of Con-
necticut, they are too important a factor
in its history — being indeed the founda-
tion of American civilization and the direct cause of the
birth of the state — to be entirely ignored.
The Vikings of the North, even if they ever saw New Eng-
land, never set foot within the present confines of Connecti-
cut nor visited her seacoast; and the only connection that
the state claims in those much-disputed discoveries of Amer-
ica is that her chartered borders reached one side of Nar-
ragansett Bay, and Vineland may possibly have been not far
from the other.
The discovery of America nearly five centuries after these
events, and the edicts of Pope Alexander VI. in 1493, divid-
ing the unexplored portions of the globe between Spain and
Portugal, while they were met with contempt in Eng-
land and France, had the effect of stimulating these nations
to further exploration and discoveries in the Western World.
Henry VIII., the reigning monarch of England, deciding
to compete for those rich prizes ready to the hand of the
venturesome, accepted the offer of John Cabot, a Venetian
merchant residing in England, to fit out several ships for
explorations; and issued a patent in the spring of 1496 au-
thorizing Cabot and his three sons "to sail to all parts, coun-
trys and seas of the East, of the West, and of the North"
under the banners of England. It was one of those curi-
ous commissions so common in those days, when the sov-
ereign allowed private adventurers to use their own money
on condition of sharing the profits with the Crown ; but more
one-sided than they seem, however, as the Crown had to pay
35
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
for the wars which invariably resulted. Cabot's son Sebas-
tian, a native of England, made three voyages to North
America. Though engaged in warfare with the Emperor of
Spain, Francis I. of France fully realized the importance of
these discoveries and settlements in the New World; and
in 1524 he engaged Jean Verrazzani, a Florentine, to ex-
plore the unknown West. With but a single vessel, Verraz-
zani coasted the shore of America, and entered what are
now the harbors of New York and Newport. Verrazzani
was followed ten years later by Jacques Cartier, who made
explorations and discoveries in the interest of the same
French monarch.\ During the last year of the reign of Eliza-
beth, Bartholomew Gosnold, in attempting to find a more
direct course to Virginia, reached the Massachusetts coast,
and, landing on a promontory, named it Cape Cod. This
is the first spot in New England ever trod by Englishmen.
Gosnold afterwards settled on the island of Cuttyhunk, in
what is now Buzard's Bay, and built a fort; but owing to
lack of provisions and hostility of the Indians, was obliged
after a residence of four months to return to England.
The New England coast was next visited by Henry Hud-
son, an Englishman sailing in the interest of the Dutch East
India Company. Hudson discovered the present New
York Bay, and sailed up the river that bears his name.
Thus we see that at the beginning of the seventeenth cen-
tury, the territory now comprising New England was claimed
by three different nations. England based her rights of pos-
session on the discoveries of Cabot and the settlement of
Gosnold; France on the explorations made by Verrazzani
and Cartier; and Holland on Hudson's discoveries and on
purchases made of the Indians.
The death of Queen Elizabeth and the accession of James
36
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
I. was followed by a declaration of peace between England
and Spain. As a result of this, many hardy men hitherto en-
gaged in warfare sought new fields of enterprise and adven-
ture in the New World. Others engaged in mercantile pur-
suits, as well as artisans and followers of the plow, became
interested in the new continent through the glowing descrip-
tions of Gosnold and his companions; expeditions under
Martin Pring and Captain Waymouth despatched to verify
these statements returned with even more favorable reports.
The King was petitioned by a body of wealthy and power-
ful subjects, to sanction by his authority an attempt to make
a permanent settlement. James listened favorably to these
applicants, but deemed a grant of such a vast region as the
American continent to one body of men an act of unwise pro-
fusion. He therefore divided the territory between the
thirty-fourth and the forty-fifth degrees of north latitude
into two nearly equal districts. The one between the thirty-
eighth and forty-fifth degrees, or between Delaware Bay
and Halifax, he granted by charter to residents of the west
of England, under the title of "The Second Colony of Vir-
ginia," which afterwards became more famiharly known as
"The North Virginia" or "Plymouth" company. The su-
preme government was invested in a council of thirteen men,
who were to be residents of England, and appointed by the
King; while the subordinate jurisdiction was committed to
resident council in America nominated by the King, and
who were to act in compliance with his instructions. By the
charter, the emigrants were secured in all those rights of
citizenship they would have retained had they remained in
their native land. All export duties for sustenance or com-
merce in the new colonies were abolished for the space of
seven years, and liberty of trade granted with all nations.
37
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Permission to coin money, repel enemies, and detain
ships trading illegally, was also granted. It will be
seen by this that while the right of choosing their own gov-
erning power was denied the colonists, they received remark-
able concessions to facilitate commerce.
The first attempt of the North Virginia Company to make
a permanent settlement was in 1606, when a vessel fitted out
under Captain Henry Challons was captured by a Span-
ish fleet, and the emigrants carried to Spain as prisoners.
The next year the company fitted out two ships and placed
Admiral Raleigh Gilbert in command; who sailed with one
hundred planters, landing in August near the mouth of the
Sagadahock or Kennebec River. The severity of the winter
caused over one-half of the company to return to England in
December. The Sagadahock colony suffered incredible hard-
ships, including the loss by fire of their storehouse and pro-
visions. The death of their president, the return of his suc-
cessor to England, together with the death of Lord Chief
Justice John Popham, who made every exertion to keep the
colony alive by repeatedly sending it supplies, so disheart-
ened the colonists that the remainder returned in a body to
England the following year. The unfavorable reports of
these early colonists prevented any further attempts to settle
North Virginia for several years.
In 1 614 Captain John Smith, who had been connected
with the early settlement of Virginia, with two ships under
his command made a voyage to what is now the New Eng-
land coast, to catch whales and hunt for gold mines, or in
default of this, to fish and trade for furs with the Indians.
In the summer he explored the sea shore between the mouth
of the Penobscot and Cape Cod, drawing a map from point
to point, isle to isle, and harbor to harbor, specifying sound-
38
JOHN SMITH
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ings, shoals, rocks, and landmarks; naming the rivers, is-
lands, and hills. He called the country New England; the
whole north continent had previously been called Nova Al-
bion and Nova Britannia, and the New England region Nor-
umbega, — one of those queer dreamland names which in the
Middle Ages start up from nowhere, like that of California,
and suddenly attach themselves to certain regions with the
grip of fate. Smith returned to England in July, leaving
Captain Thomas Hunt with one vessel to equip himself for a
voyage to Spain. Hunt enticed twenty Indians on board, and
afterward sold them as slaves at the island of Malaga. The
ethical standard of the aborigines would not have condemned
this in the least, but their practical one furnished an intense
reluctance toward being the subjects of it, and dread of the
race who practiced it; and for many years they were wary
of all intercourse, and ready to kill on the least suspicion.
The act at the lowest estimate was reckless folly if any trade
relations were to be expected, and was typical of the ill-
starred introduction of whites to Indians. On Smith's re-
turn to England, his map of the country and descriptions of
the land captivated the future King of England, Charles I.;
but that prince, then fifteen, disliked Smith's barbarous In-
dian names, and changed about thirty of them to English
ones. Some of these, as Cape Ann [a] and Cape Elizabeth,
Charles River and Plymouth, have remained in situ or
nearly so; some, as Boston, Hull, and Ipswich, have been
transferred to other spots; many have been dropped for oth-
ers, as Smith Islands for Isles of Shoals, Cape James for
Cape Cod, Cheviot Hills for Blue Hills, Snowdon for
Agamenticus, etc.
The Dutch East India Company claimed the right to the
lands discovered by Hudson, their agent; erected trading
39
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
houses on Manhattan Island, which they subsequently pur-
chased; and commenced barter with the Indians. This col-
ony was composed of a mixed population, among which
were escaped servants from Virginia, and rich and poor alike
from Holland; being more of the character of a commercial
institution than a permanent settlement, for it was fully a
score of years after Hudson's discovery that the States Gen-
eral approved of a plan for colonization. The English re-
monstrated against the Dutch occupancy of the country, a
protest being heard from Virginia as early as 1613, and from
the Plymouth Colony in 1627 ; but it was the secret belief of
the Dutch, that while the English had secured only the two
shells, they were in possession of the oyster. They based
this statement on the belief that they were within the limits
of the one hundred miles which were to separate the two Vir-
ginia colonies, according to the restrictions of the charters
granted by James I, Thus the territory that now comprises
Connecticut was claimed under their charter by the Plymouth
Company, while the Dutch contended it was under their juris-
diction, and maintained a trade with the Indians within its
boundaries.
Such was the state of affairs previous to any permanent set-
tlement in New England. After their disastrous experiences,
the glowing descriptions given by Captain Smith of the
lands beyond the seas did not stimulate or induce the Eng-
lish people to leave their luxurious homes to attempt a set-
tlement in the new country. The severity of the climate and
the hardships to be encountered were too great obstacles to be
overcome; but what the spirit of enterprise and patriotism
would not undertake, was finally accomplished by religious
enthusiasm, seeking a home for self-government and free-
dom of thought.
40
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
About 1608 a body of reformers separating from the
Church of England left their mother country for Holland,
and in 1620 numbered about one thousand souls. These
religious proselytes lived in harmony in their adopted coun-
try and proved obedient to its laws; but the revival of war
between Spain and Holland, and the natural desire that their
children should retain their mother tongue, furthered by the
craving to advance the Gospel of Christ in remote parts of
the earth, inspired their leaders to make an attempt to col-
onize the New World. They petitioned the Dutch govern-
ment to allow them to emigrate to New Netherland; but
failing in their application, had decided upon Virginia, when
they learned that public confession of adherence to the
Church of England was required of all settlers in that colony.
Although every effort was made by the Virginia Company to
secure the abolishment of their restrictions, even to the extent
of using the personal influence of the stockholders, with the
heads of the Church and State, they were unable to bring
about the desired result. The Pilgrims, as they now become
known, then sent an agent to England to confer with the
Plymouth Company; which granted them land accompanied
by a license, to have the seal of the Crown, giving them per-
mission to settle in America, there to adopt any form of wor-
ship which their conscience might approve. The King,
James I., refused to sign this license, but encouraged the
contemplated settlement. This deterred the Pilgrims from
undertaking the project; but their residence in Holland be-
coming more and more distasteful, it finally caused them to
accept the grant without the desired privileges.
One hundred of their younger and stronger men and wom-
en were selected for the American settlement, and embarked
at Delft Haven in two vessels, the Mayflower and the
4X
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Speedwell; but the mendacious captain and crew of the lat-
ter falsely pronounced her unseaworthy, to break their con-
tracts to stay a year with the colonists, and the Mayflower
proceeded on her way alone. It was the intention of the
Pilgrims to land in the new country on the coast contiguous
to New Netherlands, but Captain Jones and the crew op-
posed going on to seek it. Half a century later, the very
improbable story was started that the captain had been bribed
by the Dutch not to land the company near the Hudson.
The fact that the crew of the storm-beaten vessel were
anxious to rest where they might, is explanation enough. The
future quarrels of the Dutch with the English were not with
the Massachusetts but the Connecticut colonists; and their
rival claims to the territory account amply for that.
The obstacles and hardships overcome by the Pilgrims,
the severe winter passed on the bleak coast of Massachusetts,
the diseases which depopulated their original numbers more
than one half, are a part of universal history. The Pil-
grims, having landed in a section of the country beyond the
prescribed limits of their patent, felt that they had the right
to adopt a form of government more in conformity with their
desires; and naming themselves "The Colony of New
Plymouth," formulated a system of government and elected
executive officers.
During the voyage of the Pilgrims across the ocean, James
I. had dissolved the Plymouth Company, ostensibly because
they had made no determined effort to improve the condi-
tion of the territory conveyed to them; and a new patent,
comprising "all the territory between the fortieth and the
forty-eighth degrees N. L. and in length of and within all
the breadth aforesaid throughout the mainland from sea to
sea," was granted a new company styled "The Grand Coun-
42
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
cil of Plymouth for Planting and Governing New Eng-
land." The Plymouth Colonists were the founders of New
England in one sense; as, but for their final good fortune,
the other New England colonies might not have been found-
ed till the Dutch had fastened a secure hold upon the land.
The latter at the time formed only a trading post, but it
would have become a state in a generation more. The colony
grew slowly but strong, and seven years after their settle-
ment purchased the interests of the English merchants,
abandoned the joint-stock principle upon which the colony
had been formed, and allotted land to each colonist.
James I., in granting the patent to the Grand Council of
Plymouth, incorporated a restriction to prevent any adher-
ents to the Puritan creed from becoming occupants of the
country. The company also had the prerogative rights to
monopolize the trade and fisheries of that part of America
included in their grant; but when complaints were made
by the traders and merchants of England, and these provi-
sions of their patent were censured by Parliament, the rights
were relinquished by the company, which then abandoned
all further attempts to colonize the New World.
The Puritans of England, attracted by the success of
the Plymouth Colony, and seeing that they were removed
from the cruelties of religious persecutions, determined to
seek an asylum on the same shores. They made several inef-
fectual attempts to secure a charter; but it was not until the
failure of the second company to effect settlements, that their
application received any attention. Soon after the acces-
sion of Charles I. to the throne, an association of Puritans
received a grant of territory in New England, secured a
liberal patent from the King, and was incorporated under
the name of "The Governor and Company of the Massa-
43
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
chusetts Bay in New England." The first settlement under
this patent was made in September 1628 at Naumkeag (now
Salem), and the following year they were joined by a large
party and became known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The history of these two parent colonies has been thus
briefly sketched, to show the reasons why the first settlers of
Connecticut were of the English-speaking race, and were
imbued with the same religious and governmental principles
which always caused the Commonwealth to be an active mem-
ber of the New England family. The rapid growth in
population of the Massachusetts colonies, brought about by
emigration from England of adherents to the same religious
belief, and the inborn spirit of adventure ready to conquer
the native wilderness, and make it blossom into life and activ-
ity; the determination of devotees of the Congregational
principle not to endure a semi-aristocratic church govern-
ment in Massachusetts after coming to the wilderness ex-
pressly to be rid of it, these, with the underlying princi-
ple of extending Christianity, were the primary causes of the
settlement of Connecticut.
44
CHAPTER II
The Connecticut Indians
THE origin of the American Indians cannot be
certainly demonstrated, without far more eth-
nological and perhaps biological facts than
we yet possess ; but we are not quite so help-
less scientifically as a generation ago. The
fantastic guesses about the "lost tribes," never with any in-
tellectual standing, are now recognized even by the unschol-
arly as merely ridiculous; and the scarcely less futile, though
less childish, speculations about Asiatic migrants via Bering
Strait may be relegated to the limbo of dreams. It is certain
that the American Indian, from Hudson's Bay to TIerra del
Fuego, belongs to one family, differentiated as far back as
any distinct race on the globe; and that the differences be-
tween Araucanians or Caribs and Iroquois or Thlinkeets are
slight compared with those between either and Mongol or
Malay. Quite as significantly, the nearer races to the north
are as radically different from each other as those in the
depths of the continents. Manchurians are no more like
Athapascans than Tatars are like Cherokees. Of the great
stocks into which this race was divided, the one which con-
cerns our history is the Algonkian, stretching from Labrador
to North Carolina.
Six years prior to the settlement of Plymouth, the Dutch
navigator Adrian Block, without doubt the first white man to
voyage up the Connecticut, which he named the Freshwater
(as distinguished from the salt or brackish tidal rivers at
New York), found various tribes of Indians on its banks be-
tween what is now Hartford and the Sound. These were
members of the above Algonkian family; which, as it lay
in the immediate path of the Atlantic coast settlements, bore
and retaliated the first brunt of white aggression, and was
47
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
gradually pushed westward, — somewhat thinned in numbers,
though much less than is often assumed.
The villages of those Indians located on the shore of Long
Island Sound, and in the valley of the Connecticut River,
were devastated year after year by the Mohawks, a tribe of
Indians that occupied the eastern part of New York. The
Iroquois nation, of which the Mohawks were members, an-
nually sent representatives to the river and seashore tribes of
Connecticut, to whom a tribute was paid and who promul-
gated orders from the great council at Onondaga. The Pe-
quots, a tribe located in the southeastern part of the fu-
ture colony, were never visited by these emissaries of the Five
Nations, but on the contrary they themselves demanded ad-
ditional tribute ; so that with enemies on both sides, the In-
dians of western Connecticut were cruelly oppressed, and
gladly joined forces with, or cowered under the aegis of, the
whites when they came.
Various estimates have been made by different historians
of the population of the Connecticut Indian tribes previous to
the settlement of the Colony, and by a process of computa-
tion which allowed five members as the family of each war-
rior, the maximum (arrived at by statisticians largely from
losses sustained by the Indians in warfare with the whites)
places the total at twenty thousand, while the minimum has
fallen as low as six thousand. As the whole western part of
the Colony was mostly uninhabited, the country at this time
being an unbroken forest save for a narrow strip on the
coast ; and as- the Pequots, who could muster as many war-
riors as all the other tribes combined, never had a war
strength of more than five or six hundred, — there is no
doubt but that when the first white man set foot within the
48
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
boundaries of Connecticut, the total Indian population could
not have exceeded six thousand.
The Indians in locating their villages followed the seacoast
or the river courses. The southeastern part, now New Lon-
don County, was the home of the powerful tribe of Pe-
quots. They reached back from the sea-shore to a distance
of twelve miles; and the northern most community, which
afterwards seceded under Uncas, became known as the Mo-
hegans.
To the north of these warlike and aggressive Indians, the
territory now Windham and Tolland Counties was sparingly
inhabited by the Nipmucks or Nipnets; the former name,
meaning from or away from the river, was applied to all
northern tribes of Indians. The Connecticut Nipmucks had
no Grand Sachem of their own, and their principal seat of
government was located in southern Massachusetts.
At the mouth of the Connecticut River lived the Western
Nehantics, who were related to a tribe of the same name
in Rhode Island. Along the seacoast to the westward of the
Nehantics' wigwams, wherever there was a sheltered bay or
a good fishing place, an Indian village was generally located.
The first of these was the Hammonassetts, who were few
in number. Next came the Guilford Indians, who, though at
one time considered a distinct tribe, really belonged to the
Quinnipiacs, who lived on the seacoast, east of what is now
New Haven Bay. The Quinnipiacs were of a peaceful dis-
position, spending their time in fishing or hunting, and never
were very strong in numbers.
On the banks of the Housatonic River dwelt the Paugus-
setts and Wepawagus, who undoubtedly belonged to the
same tribe. Northwest of these Indians a small tribe of
Potatucks, of whom but little is known, lived within the lim-
49
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
its of the present towns of Newtown, Southbury, and Wood-
bury; their insignificance is manifested by the fact that all
historians treat them with silence, leaving them to fade into
unmarked oblivion.
The original name of Fairfield was Unkoway, and a small
clan of Indians called Unkowas lived in that locality. From
this point to what is now the New York line, the seacoast at
the time of the first settlement of the whites was uninhabited;
but in 1643 there existed in this territory a large population
of Indians who fled from their own homes on Long Island
and the Hudson River, to escape the vicinity of the hostile
Dutch.
Eight or ten miles west of the Connecticut River, on the
banks of the Farmington River, were the hunting grounds
of the Sepores or Tiinxis Indians ; these numbered about four
hundred, and formed a part of that confederacy which had
as its principal seat of government the valley of the Connec-
ticut. The Podunks and Poquonocs, who lived on opposite
banks of the Connecticut, occupied the territory now the
towns of South and East Windsor, Windsor proper, and
East Hartford, and were closely connected through their
kindred and government.
Journeying south twenty-five miles, still following the
course of the river, there were numerous small tribes of
Indians governed by different Sachems, but living in close
connection with each other, being united by natural alli-
ances. Among these were the Sicaoggs, Naiogs, Hoccanums,
and a small tribe noted for its peculiar religious super-
stitions, who lived near Mt. Tom in the present township of
East Haddam. In the country between what is now Middle-
town and the home of the Western Nehantics lived the
50
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Wangunks, who were settled on both banks of the river
and known as a distinct tribe.
The Pequots came about the beginning of the seventeenth
century from the vicinity of the Hudson, leaving the over-
peopled forests of that region to find easier sustenance else-
where; after journeying through southern Massachusetts,
they finally located on the Connecticut seacoast. The other
clans of Connecticut Indians were tribal branches of the
Nehantics, or Narragansetts; this in a degree accounts for
the deep feeling of abhorrence for the Pequots, and the un-
willing subjugation of the Indian tribes of Connecticut to
their supremacy.
The manners and customs of the Indians of Connecticut
were similar to the other aboriginal tribes of North America.
They belonged to the Ganowanian or Bow and Arrow fam-
ily of men, being devoted to the chase, and caring but little
for agricultural pursuits. The leading trait of the Red Men
was force independence, and intolerance of any control that
restrained their passions. In personal appearance they were
of tawny color inclining to the red, with prominent cheek
bones, widely separated eyes, a broad nose, and ordinarily a
cast of coarse and mobile features. The males were tall,
straight, and well proportioned, had great powers of endur-
ance, and were rarely corpulent or deformed; the females
were short and clumsy, all feminine grace and beauty being
obliterated by hard labor.
They depended for their subsistence on hunting and fish-
ing; their agricultural pursuits being limited to the raising
of beans and corn, which were cultivated by the women and
children. The tobacco crop received the attention of the
men, It alone being considered as worthy of their labor. The
implements used in tilling the soil were few and crude; a
51
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
large part of the field work was performed with their fingers,
although spades constructed from wood and large shells were
commonly used.
The Indian generally hunted alone, but grand hunts were
sometimes organized. The forests teemed with pigeons, quail,
turkeys, and partridges; while along the shore, and on the
rivers, ponds, and marshes, dwelt geese, cranes, and ducks.
The otter and beaver, while highly prized for their fur, were
also eaten. The forest likewise yielded racoons, rabbits,
squirrels, and such larger game as the common deer, moose,
and bear. Carnivorous animals like the wild-cat, wolf, and
fox were never used as food, but were slain for their furs.
The fish of the seacoast was much more plentiful than at the
present day; and besides obtaining all of the smaller sea
food, even sturgeon, porpoise, and whale were caught in
abundant quantities.
The garments of the Indians were trophies of the hunt.
The skins of the slain animals were cured, thereby making
them soft and pliable, and were sometimes painted or worked
with beads made from shells Mantles were made from the
feathers of wild game, and decked with fantastic ornaments.
A woman's wardrobe was limited to two articles, a leather
shirt coming well below the thighs, and a skirt reach-
ing nearly to her feet; while cases have been known of
her lord and master's gambling away her petticoat, the shirt
was never parted with unless another was provided. The
male children until the age of twelve were nude, but the girls
wore a short apron. The hair of the women was arranged
in a heavy braid ornamented at times with wampum; the
men went bareheaded, — one having his hair long on one
side and shaved on the other, another having his scalp en-
tirely bare, and a third with a strip of hair two or three inches
52
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
wide, commencing at the forehead and running to his neck
like a coxcomb. The women to improve their complexion
used paint, but this artificial adornment was resorted to by
the males only when preparing themselves for warfare.
Sachems and the principal men wore caps, aprons, and belts
embroidered with different colored beads.
For currency the Indian was dependent upon wampum;
this consisted of black and white beads about a quarter of an
inch long, the black being made of mussel shells, and passing
for twice the value of the white, which came from the inside
of the conch shell; both varieties were perforated and strung
upon threads.
The dwelling places of the Red Men were primitive, poles
being set firmly in the ground, bent together and fastened at
the top ; the sides were covered with matted boughs, and the
roofs thatched with reeds and rushes, although sometimes
a covering of bark was used. The Indians were by no means
permanent residents; they migrated from place to place,
spending their summers upon the seashore, and their winters
in the depths of the forest. In the case of death of one of the
family they generally deserted the house, probably to escape
the wrath of the spirit supposed to have a" grudge against
the place. The Sachems lived in fortified villages with a
large number of their tribe; these aggregations of huts,
forming their primitive towns, were located on prominent
elevations, and were about two or three acres in area. Their
wigwams were arranged around an open space, which was
used for the gathering of war and hunting parties, for re-
ligious and fantastic dances, and for the transaction of public
business. In his home life the Indian practiced no sanitary
laws; he did not believe in cleanliness or purity, his do-
mesticated animals occupied his dwelling place, and their
53
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
offal was never disturbed; in preparing fish the entrails were
never removed. The effect was less than in civilized life,
but undoubtedly had a share in keeping the numbers sta-
tionary.
The Red Men confined their amusements to various kinds
of dances, and like all barbarians were inveterate gamblers.
They played with rushes a game resembling cards, and man-
ufactured dice from pebbles by painting the sides. On these
games they staked and lost all, and in many instances single
braves hazarded their own person; thereby, if losers, becom-
ing slaves.
While the languages of the New England Indians bore a
general resemblance in construction, they differed in individ-
ual words; but members of various tribes readily understood
one another through the similarity of tongues, and a natural
faculty for communicating by the universal language of signs.
Their syntax condensed a sentence into a composite word, and
fully half their utterances were composed of these agglomer-
ated expressions.
Criminal punishments were inflicted personally by the
Sachems, or councillors deputized by them. The penalty for
murder was a life for a life; theft if a first offence received
a public reprimand, a second like misdemeanor secured a
beating, and the culprit thrice guilty had his nostrils slit to
warn the public of his character.
In social distinctions, according to Cotton Mather, the
aborigines were divided into three classes. The highest were
the nobles, descended from the blood of chiefs and invested
with authority by the Sachem. The second class were yeo-
men or Sannops, who constituted the larger portion of the
tribe; these possessed rights in the lands, and attended the
Sachem on his excursions. The third class were strangers
54
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
and descendants of foreigners who had no rights in the land,
who were allowed in attendance only by permission of the
Sachem, and were subjects of the yeoman class; Mather
designates them by the name of serfs.
The civil government of the Indians was invested in an
hereditary chief called a Sachem, and in default of a male
heir this office descended to the female. The Sachem was
assisted by a body of men who acted as councillors and ad-
visors, and maintained his authority only by his own ability
to exercise a despotic sway; he must be brave, eloquent,
and cunning, careful to move in accord with the wishes of his
people; and all matters of great importance were publicly
discussed. Under the Sachems were inferior chieftains
called Sagamores, each of whom collected around him a band
of followers whose allegiance was not compulsory, and whose
numerical strength depended on the ability and courage of
their chief.
The Mugwump seems to have been head of a subtribal
band, and the name has always been familiar in Connecti-
cut as "the boss'' or head man of a concern.
The office of Sachem entitled the holder to a revenue which
consisted of agricultural products, presents of the results of
hunting and fishing excursions, and of war, — especially wom-
en, — and the ornaments of the defeated chieftain. The
Sachem had prerogative rights over all the waters in his do-
mains, and therefore claimed all wrecks and whales, and the
skins of all animals there killed. He was called upon to en-
tertain all travellers, strangers, and ambassadors.
The great delight of the Indians was war, although nomi-
nally it was never undertaken for conquest, but always for
redress of a grievance. This was always obtainable; and as
the revenge for one always left a heavy score to be settled
55
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
by the other side, they could fight any other tribe at will.
Before starting on the war-path, a dance was performed in
which the braves boasted of exploits already accomplished,
and feats to be performed in the future. Their plan of war-
fare was of the secret and strategic order; but at times they
engaged in open battle, which was rarely attended by very
bloody results, as it was one of their principles that no success
was worth risking many lives. The Iroquois-Erie war of
1655-56 is perhaps the only case where Indians engaged
in a white man's battle, reckless of sacrifice. The offensive
weapons were bows and arrows, wooden clubs, and stone
hatchets; the defensive ones targets made of bark. The
forest trees served in place of a shield; and when they had
slain an enemy, to obtain his scalp as a trophy was to them
a glorious triumph. They were incited by their leader, on
the departure of a war expedition, by oratory in which he
spoke disparagingly of their enemies, and extolled their own
courage, beseeching them to fight bravely to avenge past in-
juries. The prisoners of war, if not adopted into a family
of their captors, were subjected to all the tortures that a
ferocious ingenuity could inflict.
The Indian religion is very dubious, because it is uncertain
how far our accounts represent genuine aborigin ideas, and
how far the half-caught Christianity taught them by the mis-
sionaries, or questions they answered as they knew the mis-
sionaries wished to have them. They were said to have
believed there was a Good Spirit who concerned himself but
little with the affairs of men in this temporal life, but stood
ready to forgive their mistakes when they reached the happy
hunting grounds, and furnish them rest and happiness in life
eternal. They held in more reverence their spirit of evil
called Hobbamocke, and many dances and sacrifices were per-
56
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
formed in his honor; they feared his power and malignant
disposition, deeming him the author of all human plagues
and calamities. The second half is much more probable than
the first, and even that seems colored by Christianity. The
medicine men or prophets made revelations from the spirit
world, gaining their occult knowledge through the morti-
fication of fasting and prayer.
The Indian lover commenced his courtship by presents to
his intended, and her acceptance of them was a pledge of
their betrothal. This by no means necessitated marriage, as
she often went from lover to lover — husbands in all but
permanency — to obtain more presents, till she settled down.
The consent of the Sachem formed the marriage tie. While
polygamy was allowed, it was seldom practiced, unless by a
Sachem or one of abundant means. Marriages were dis-
solved if the wife proved unfaithful, though divorces oc-
curred for other causes besides adultery. In his family re-
lations the Indian was an affectionate and indulgent parent,
and was apparently no believer in that maxim, "Spare the
Rod and Spoil the Child," as he never chastised his off-
spring. They made a distinction between boys and girls,
the former being encouraged to be bold and independent,
while the latter were taught subjection.
The maladies of the Indians were few but severe, being
caused by their exposure, hardships, evil, vice, and irregu-
lar manner of living, and were largely of the pulmonary and
rheumatic class of diseases. Their curatives were sweating,
and purging the system with herbs; and they also used
supernatural means, their medicine men acting as the spiritual
mediums.
There were various reasons why the Indians did not multi-
ply : the attendance of the women in their parties of war and
57
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
hunting made child-bearing inconvenient; and being poorly
fed, like wild animals, each succeeding generation became
less active and less productive. The women's hard work also
helped to sterilize them. When we first meet them, no In-
dian tribe seems to be increasing; it is not quite clear how
they ever attained their then present numbers.
On the death of a relative, visits of condolence were paid.
The funeral ceremonies were conducted by a respectable
member of the tribe; the corpse was adorned with such
ornaments as his relatives could afford; his body was swathed
in coverings of mats and skins; a shallow grave was dug,
the bottom lined with sticks, and the dead body was placed
either in a sitting or reclining position, and by his side were
left food and implements of war. The relatives of the de-
ceased blackened their faces as evidence of their mourning,
and made an exhibition of their grief by tears, howls, and
shrieks.
The general character of the Connecticut Indians com-
pared favorably with that of any barbarians; and, relatively
to their nature and situation, with that of white men.
They told as few lies, and perhaps committed as few mur-
ders; there could be no theft where there was nothing to
steal; they were not lazy in gross, but like all savages, alter-
nated spells of intense activity with others of quiescence, and
anyway there was no reward for industry. They were glut-
tonous, and became intemperate; but they had to eat when
they had food, which was not always, food would not keep,
and drunkenness was their one luxury. They were loose
enough sexually, but then there were no barriers but those of
permission ; their licentiousness was hardly more in evidence
than that of the civilized race that has succeeded them, and
Thersites' summary of the permanent elements of society
58
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
is by no means obsolete. In a word, their virtues and vices
were dictated by their stage of culture and their environment,
plus racial character — which is all that can be said of any
people.
In discussing the question of their dispossession from the
soil, there are two phases to be considered : one general to all
Indians, one special to the Connecticut Indians. As to the
former, they had no title to the soil themselves but occu-
pancy, they recognized none in other tribes but the law of the
strongest, and their occupancy itself had no boundary except
the risk of being scalped by another and stronger tribe for
intrusion. The whites had the same right to use the soil for
purposes of a livelihood as the reds; it was the misfortune
of the latter that the uses of the former excluded a joint
roaming tenancy, and made it needful for them to adopt
the same means of livelihood or have no place to gain it.
The Indian was not morally to blame for being an Indian;
but to use the fact, as is so often done, as the major premise
of an argument that the white man must therefore be blama-
ble for being civilized, is wholly irrational. Again, there
was no such entity as "the Indians," or "the Red Men," or
"the Aborigines," with common rights and common interests
as against white men: if the same class of reasoning were
used about the Europeans or the Asiatics as a whole, its ab-
surdity would be perceived. There were red tribes, inde-
pendent of and hostile to all other red tribes; but what su-
perior moral claim does the possession of a certain color of
skin give them to possession, either by occupation or con-
quest, above that of whites? The question must be indi-
vidual, not general; and we must carefully discriminate be-
tween the Aborigines of America as an ethnological fact, and
the Aborigines of any particular section, which is a question
59
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
often impossible to determine, and when determined often
leads to results the very opposite of those intended. There
was no more solidarity of rights among Indians as a whole
than between Indians and whites, and even less solidarity
of interests; and the Indians themselves were the foremost
to recognize the fact. A sterile wonder is often expressed
that Indians did not stand together against the whites: why
should they? It meant simply being scalped by other tribes.
There was no result to stand together for; no common "In-
dian" civilization or mode of society to be preserved by driv-
ing off the whites, whom indeed they generally valued as
their best protection against each other. The whites saved
more Indians from being destroyed by other Indians than
they ever destroyed themselves. What interest had one
tribe of Indians in assisting another tribe to slaughter
whites, when victory simply meant that it would be slaugh-
tered in turn ? Was the privilege of being roasted by other
savages so precious a boon, above being slowly dispossessed
of land, that they should shed their blood for it? In a word,
"Indians," as such, had no future — could have none; It was
because they had none that they were forced to give way to a
social system that had one. It is absurd to suppose that the
Creator has left his higher civilization no legitimate means
of occupying the earth; and if it is equally wicked to dis-
possess savages by violence, to buy their land from them
(they being ignorant of its value, unfit to have the money,
and unable to make any use of it), and to occupy tracts they
do not cultivate, we land in the absurd impasse that after a
few roaming savages have once spread over a continent, no
method but crime is left for better societies to take their
place.
As to the local question, it is much simpler. The Pequots
60
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
were as much intruders pure and simple on the rights of the
original occupants as the whites themselves; they were in-
deed much more so, for they were mere invaders by violence,
who had dispossessed part and cowed the rest of the Narra-
gansett tribes here before them, while the whites were occu-
pants by permission. Whether the Narragansetts were
themselves invaders or no, we cannot tell, nor does it matter;
for our purpose we grant them such. Then what title had
this band of ferocious freebooters, the Pequots, who had
been here very little longer than the whites, to set up the
claim (they never did, it is true, — that was left for modern
sentimentalists) to prescriptive right of occupancy? It is to
be noted that the real occupants, the Narragansett tribes,
were friends of the whites, helped them exterminate the Pe-
quots, and considered them protectors against their fierce
conquerors. Does the mere fact that the Pequots were red,
and that some sort of red men were on the continent earlier
than the whites, confer such a moral sanctity on even bar-
barous conquest that it has a right to murder and torture
peaceful cultivators? The logic is not obvious. This is not
slaying a man of straw. The sentimental view persistently
confounds the question of red men vs. white men, which we
have just shown does not exist, with the question of a given
band of white settlers vs. a given tribe of savages, which is
the question our forefathers had to settle, and their settlement
of which gives us a peaceful community in which to decry
them and their work. What rights the Connecticut settlers
had against a non-existent abstraction called "the Indian"
would seem too foolish an exercise even for schoolboys, were
it not constantly declaimed by older people; what rights they
had against a tribe of ferocious brigands who had preceded
them into the territory a few years, and who were committing
61
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
unprovoked atrocities on them to drive them out, and dispos-
sess the original occupants besides, will appear in the course
of this work.
62
CHAPTER III
The Warwick Patent
THE second patent to the territory included with-
in the limits of what is now Connecticut is sur-
rounded with mystery.
The Council of Plymouth was the mother
of all land grants in New England, that cor-
poration having been delegated this authority by Charles
I. The Council was composed of members of the nobility
and merchants of the west of England ; and its records were
very loosely kept and irregular. As early as 1623 a map di-
viding New England into twenty parts, but making no men-
tion of Connecticut, was presented to Prince Charles for his
approval.
The president of the Council of Plymouth was Robert
Rich, Earl of Warwick, whose whole family were doubly in-
terested in colonization. There appears in the extant rec-
ords of the Council of Plymouth, in the year 1622, a resolu-
tion granting a patent to the Earl of Warwick and his as-
sociates; but all further proceedings of the corporation until
1 63 1 are completely obliterated. Through the medium of
correspondence, there has been established the fact that
John Humphrey, writing in 1630 to a friend at Charlestown,
Massachusetts, stated that my Lord of Warwick was to take
a grant of the territory brought to his notice by the receiver
of the latter; and in a subsequent communication, it evi-
dently appears that these lands were located in the southern
part of New England.
Documentary evidence, however, does in no way substanti-
ate the execution of any patent to the Earl of Warwick, and
so far as known, no such patent was conferred by Charles
I. It was mainly through the representations of Sir Richard
Saltonstall, who visited New England in 1631, that the seri-
65
1!
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ous attention of the Earl of Warwick became directed to the
fertility of the Connecticut valley.
During the seventh year of the reign of that unhappy
King Charles I., the Earl of Warwick conveyed to Lord Say
and Sele, Lord Brook, and nine others, by feoffment deed,
the territory commencing at the Narragansett [Providence]
River, and running forty leagues to the southwest on the sea-
coast towards Virginia, and north and south of this line, all
the lands in latitude and breadth, as in longitude and length,
from the Western Ocean to the South Sea. As can be readily
seen, the boundaries of this patent were very obscure and in-
definite, which was mainly due to the ignorance by the
English of the geography of the New World. In fact, it is
space of one dimension to be interpreted in terms of two,
and was interpreted in three different ways by different par-
ties. It seems fairly evident, however, — recollecting the
vague ideas of American geography, — that what was meant
was forty leagues down the coast and then straight over to
the Pacific, and on the north a straight line from the head of
Providence River to the Pacific.
The following is the text of the Warwick patent, a copy
of the original having been read by Mr. George Fenwick, the
agent of the patentees, to the people of Connecticut on his ar-
rival from England. This copy, or a copy of it, was after-
wards found by Governor Winthrop among Governor Hop-
kins' papers in London in 1661, and is now in the State
archives of Connecticut. The document bears the follow-
ing indorsement, "The copy of the patent for Connecticut
being ye copy of that copy which was shewed to ye people
there by Mr. George Fenwick found amongst Mr. Hopkins'
papers," and reads:
66
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
l^o all people vnto whom this present writeing shall come,
Robert, Earle of Warwick sendeth greeting, in our Lord
God everlasting: Know ye, that the sayd Robert, Earl of
Warwick, for divers Good causes & considerations him there-
vnto moueing, Hath giuen, grant. Bargain Seld enfeoffed,
Aliened & confirmed, & by these presents doth giue,
grant. Bargain, Sell, enfeoffe, Alien & confirm vnto the
Right Honourable William, Viscount Say & Scale, the
Right Honourable Rob't, Lord Brooke, 'J'he right Honour-
able, Lord Rich, & the Honourable Charles Fines Esq'r,
Sr. Nathaniel Rich, Knight, Sr. Richard Saltonstall, Knight,
Richard Knightly, Esq'r, John Pim, EsqV, John Hamden,
Esq'r, John Humphrey, Esq'r & Herbert Pelham, Esq'r theire
heires & assignes & their Associates forever, All that part of
New England in Americah, which lyes & extends it selfe
from a Riuer there called Narrogancett River, the space of
Forty Leagues vpon a Straight Lyne neere the Sea Shore
towards the Sowth west West, and by vSowth or West, as the
Coast lyeth, towards Virginia, accounting Three English
Miles to the League; & allso all & singuler the Lands &
hereditaments what soeuer lyeing & being with in the
Lands afoarsayd. North & South in Lattitude & Bredth &
in Length & Longitude of & with in all the Bredth afoare-
sayd, through out the Maine Lands there, from the Westerne
Oscian to the South Sea; & all Lands & Grounds, place &
places, Soyle, Wood & Woods, Grounds, Hauens, portes,
creeks & Rivers, Waters, Fishings & hereditaments what
soever, lying with in the sayd space & every part & parcell
thereof; & allso all Islands lying in Americah afoarsayd,
in the sayd Seas or either of them, on the Western or East-
ern Coasts or parts of the sayd Tracts of Lands by these
p'sents Mentioned to be giuen, granted, Bargained sold,
67
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
enfeoffed, aliened, & confirmed, & allso all Mines, Miner-
alls, — as well Royall Mines of Gold & Siluer as other Mines
& Mineralls what soeuer in the sayd Lands & premises, or
any part thereof; & allso the several Riuers With in the
sayd limits, by what Name or Names Soeuer called or
Known; & all Jurisdictions, rights. Royalties, liberties, free-
domes. Immunities, powers, priuiledges, Franchizes, prehem-
inences & commodities what soeuer, which the said Rob't
Earle of Warwick, now hath or had, or might vse, exercise or
injoy, in or within the said Lands and premises or within any
part or parcell thereof, excepting & reseruing to his Ma'tie,
his heirs and Successors, the Fifth part of all Gold & Silver
oare that shall be found with in the sayd premises or any part
or parcell thereof: To have & To hold the sayd part of New
England in Americah which lyes & Extends & is abutted as
afoarsayd. And the sayd severall Riuers, & euery part & par-
cell thereof, & all the sayd Islands, Riuers, portes, Hauens,
Waters, Fishings, Mines, Mineralls, Jurisdictions, powers,
Franchizes, Royalties, liberties, priviledges, Comodities, here-
ditaments, & premises whatsoeuer, with the appurtenances,
vnto the said William, Viscount Say & Scale, Robert, Lord
Brooke, Robert, Lord Rich, Charles Fines, Sr. Nathaniel
Rich, Sr. Richard Saltonstall, Richard Knightly, John Pim,
John Hamden, John Humphrey & Herbert Pellam, their
heirs & assignes & their Associates, to the onely proper &
absolute vse & behoofe of them the sayd William, Viscount
Say & Seale, Robert, Lord Brook, Robert, Lord Rich,
Charles Fines, Sr. Nathaniel Rich, Sr. Richard Saltonstall,
Richard Knightly, John Pim, John Hamden, John Humph-
rey, and Herbert Pelham their heirs and assignes and their
Associates for euermore, In Witness whereof, the sayd Rob-
ert Earle of Warwick hath herevnto set his hand & Seale,
66
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
the Nineteenth day of March, in the Seuenth yeare of the
Reigne of ovr Soueraigne Lord Charles, by the Grace of
God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, De-
fender of the fayth &c. Anno Dom 1631.
Robert Warwicke. [L. S.]
Signed, Sealed and delivered in the presence of
Walter Williams,
Thomas Howson,
Hartford, August 6 1679.
vera copia John AUyn, Secr'y,
That this patent had any standing in law cannot be main-
tained. Only sovereigns, as Irving long ago remarked, can
give away what does not belong to them; and if Warwick
had ever received his grant from the sovereign, or from the
council to whom the sovereign had granted it, his lawyer
most unaccountably forgot to record that fact in the patent.
Warwick in this document merely gives all that he himself
possesses, but does not state what that is, nor from whom he
had it. At the same time, it is a long step from this to saying
that the patent was a pure fraud, or that Warwick thought
he was giving or the patentees thought they were receiving
a mere blank paper. Both suppositions are so improbable
that any reasonable explanation must be preferred. Both
parties must have believed that it secured them from prob-
able order or suit of ejectment. But if it was an impudent
figment, a quitclaim to property known to be at others' dis-
posal, why should it afford any such security? On the other
hand, the argument sometimes made, that he might have been
empowered to execute it by vote of the council as its presi-
dent, without formal grant, is open to the same objection as
above, that he would have stated that fact and that official
69
CONNECTICU r AS COLONY AND STATE
authority in the deed, as the solid basis of the grant. With-
out pretending to cut this Gordian knot, the best probability
seems to be, that this grant had been actually promised him,
in the discussions of the council, and only awaited formal
confirmation; that ev^ents were hurrying forward, and he
wished to get his patentees in de facto possession as soon as
possible, relying on the formal validation coming early
enough to prevent any trouble, as a fresh guaranty could be
attached; that meantime he knew that no one else expected
it or claimed it besides him.self, and that his position was
powerful enough to make his promissory note pass for coin;
— but that the quarrel with the council, which shortly caused
his removal, supervened and prevented the consummation of
the grant. We are not unaware of the difficulties in the way
of this theory, — chief of which is that the rough-draft of a
grant to be made to Warwick by the council specifies a less
territory with somewhat different boundaries; but it is not a
mere guess, the confirmatory points being significant.
And the difficulties are not nearly so formidable as
on the one hand supposing that the grantor granted nothing
when he had power to grant all, and that the patentees
accepted that nothing when they could have obtained all, as
the defenders of the patent assume; or on the other,
that both parties dealt thus with a leaden counter, without
strong warrant that it would answer as gold and shortly be
replaced by gold.
At any rate, the patent conveyed no rights of government,
or even the power to create a corporation. The grantees
were simply joint tenants; though the prospect of the Earl of
Warwick's receiving any monetary remuneration in lieu of
rent was not very encouraging, as it was distinctly stated that
70
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
one-fifth of all gold and silver mined within the territory was
to reimburse him for his interests.
The original patentees had a consociation of business in-
terests, in other land grants in the New World. Lord Say
and Sele and Lord Brook were associated with the Earl
of Warwick, Lord Rich, and John Pym, in affairs pertaining
to the Bahamas; Sir Richard Saltonstall and John Humph-
rey were among the original patentees of Massachusetts ; and
Lord Say and Sele and Lord Brook were interested in the
original patent of New Hampshire.
The grantees were all men of prominence and affairs in
England. John Pym was a famous leader in the House of
Commons during the reigns of James L and Charles L; a
lawyer by profession, fearless, eloquent, and an unequalled
parliamentarian. Identified with the popular interest against
the Crown, he was prominently identified with the impeach-
ments of Buckingham and Strafford; he and Hampden were
the leaders of the Long Parliament; and on the outbreak
of hostilities he remained in London, rendering executive ser-
vices of more value and assistance than a general in the field.
He was one of the five members whose attempted seizure by
the King on the floor of Parliament, for dealings with the
Scotch rebels, made the Civil War inevitable. He died sud-
denly early in the war, at fifty-nine.
John Hampden was a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, and of
the foremost influence as a leader in the patriot party; con-
sidered by them as "pater patriae," and denounced by Claren-
don as the fountain of all mischief. His endurance of im-
prisonment rather than pay his small assessment of "ship-
money," a levy intended to make the Crown independent of
popular control, had made him a recognized champion,
which his great judgment, pithy speech, and acute states-
71
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
manship, confirmed. He was another of the Five Members.
He was a member of the Committee of Safety at the out-
break of the war, became a colonel, and was mortally
wounded at Chalgrove, fighting against Rupert, in its sec-
ond year.
Sir Richard Saltonstall was a nephew of Sir Richard,
Lord Mayor of London in the latter part of the sixteenth
century, and was one of the fathers of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony; being its assistant gov^ernor in 1630, in which year
he was identified with the first settlement of Watertown,
Mass. He returned to England in 1631, and was ever af-
terwards a warm friend of the American colonies.
William Fiennes, Lord Say and Sele, was a member of Par-
liament, a firm exponent of the abolishment of Episcopacy^
and was one of the leading advocates of Presbyterianism ;
but upon the creation of the Protectorate, he withdrew from
public life. With many another good patriot, he welcomed
and assisted in the restoration of Charles IL, who made him
Lord Privy Seal.
Robert, Lord Brook, was also a member of Parliament, a
colleague of Lord Say and Sele, and associated with him in
his advocacy of religious freedom; his peasantry during the
civil war were attached to the Parliamentary Army, but he
died before the Restoration.
Robert, Lord Rich, was the eldest son of the Earl of War-
wick; the Honorable Charles "Fines" [Fiennes] was of the
family of Lord Say and Sele. John Humphreys was one
of the original patentees of Massachusetts; Sir Nathaniel
Rich (of the Warwick connection) and Richard Knightly
died a few years after the granting of the Connecticut pat-
ent; Herbert Pelham was of the family afterward Dukes
of Newcastle.
72
From the Rembrandt Print.
^UA^Ct^f^^^
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The original grantees of Connecticut were Puritans, there-
fore differing from the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth. This
had a tendency to people Connecticut with Nonconformists,
who, while they believed in the Church of England, were op-
posed to what they regarded as its corrupt and unauthorized
practices. The unsettled state of civil affairs in England
caused a delay of several years on the part of the Connecticut
patentees, in making a permanent settlement on their grant.
In the summer of 1635 there arrived at Boston twenty ser-
vants of Sir Richard Saltonstall, under the superintendency
of Francis Stiles, with instructions to locate two thousand
acres in Windsor. This territory had been preoccupied by
settlers from Massachusetts, who were in position to main-
tain their rights, on the principle that possession was nine
points of the law. This discouraging outlook disgusted
Stiles, and after a couple of months' stay in Boston he re-
turned to England.
Another company, under the charge of Barnabas Davis,
arrived in Massachusetts empowered to locate four hundred
acres; but learning of the non-success of Stiles, they like-
wise returned to their native land without accomplishing the
object of their visit. On receipt of tidings from their depu-
ties acquainting them with these unsuccessful attempts, the
grantees entered into negotiations with John Winthrop, Jr.,
at that time sojourning in England.
Winthrop was then about thirty years of age, a gradu-
ate of Trinity College, Dublin ; he had made the grand tour
of Europe, had visited Massachusetts in 1631, and been
chosen a magistrate of that colony. The patentees appointed
him governor of Connecticut River for one year, his term
of office to commence at the time of his arrival on the terri-
tory. While designating no specific time, Winthrop prom-
73
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ised as soon as possible to provide himself with fifty men, and
build a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut River, to re-
serve from one thousand to fifteen hundred acres of the ad-
joining lands, and to erect thereon habitations suitable for
himself and other gentlemen of quality. He was furnished
with £2,000, and was to account for all expenses entered
into for the benefit of the patentees.
On Winthrop's arrival at Boston, it was rumored that the
Dutch were trying to forestall him in the erection of a fort
at the mouth of the Connecticut; hence not waiting to recruit
his full complement, he embarked twenty men on board a ves-
sel, with instructions to take possession of the designated
point, erect embankments, and plant their cannons. The
fortifications were hardly completed when the hostile sail was
sighted; but when they saw a new fortress flying the Eng-
lish colors, the Dutch withdrew with no further manifesta-
tions. The patentees having arranged with Lieutenant Lion
Gardener, an engineer in the employ of the Prince of Orange,
he was sent to the new settlement to draw plans and su-
perintend the erection of a fort and other necessary buildings.
Gardener arrived at Boston in the latter part of 1635, and
proceeded to join Winthrop in the Connecticut territory.
In the agreement made with Winthrop and Gardener, the
patentees acted only as joint tenants, as is evidenced by the
attachment of their private seals to the documents, and the
non-use of any corporation or colony seal; making Governor
Winthrop limit his jurisdiction to the fort and the adjacent
territory that had been reserved for its maintenance, with
no attempt to exercise any authority over the settlements
higher up on the river. An oft'er was made by the patentees
to reimburse the pioneers of the river settlements, or pro-
vide other locations for them, but their proposals were disre-
74
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
garded. Winthrop and Gardener were only employees of
the patentees, and the former's stay at the fort was short;
the winter of 1635-36 was very severe, the Connecticut Riv-
er being frozen over by the middle of November, causing
great suffering amongst the garrison. In the midsummer of
1639 George Fenwick, one of the patentees, accompanied by
his wife and household, and several gentlemen with their ser-
vants, arrived in two ships from England. On the arrival
of these settlers the fort ceased to be a mere military post,
and a form of civil government was adopted, Fenwick as
agent for the patentees assuming the chief executive power.
Mention has been made of the Duke of Hamilton's claim
to territory in Connecticut. One of the last acts of the Coun-
cil of Plymouth was to grant, on April 20, 1635, to James,
Marquis of Hamilton, a tract of land commencing at the
mouth of the Connecticut River, to run on the seacoast sixty
miles east of Narragansett River and north sixty miles, fol-
lowing the west bank of that river, and then sixty miles west
and then southerly to the starting point. In the same year the
Council of Plymouth made two other grants: one to the
Duke of Lenox, the other to the Earl of Carlisle, from the
Hudson River to New Haven on the seacoast and extending
into the interior; following the line of the coast from New
Haven to the mouth of the Connecticut River. These pat-
ents regranted lands in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Mas-
sachusetts; and this was done by the Council of Plymouth,
then going into liquidation, to strengthen grants already
made, thereby rendering it impossible that any of the terri-
tory covered by their original patent from the King should
ever revert to the Crown. The Marquis of Hamilton was a
descendant of the great historical Scotch family of that name.
He was created a Duke by Charles I. for services rendered in
75
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
suppressing the Scottish Covenanters. During the Civil War
he led a Scottish army into England, to support the King,
but was defeated at Preston by Cromwell, and being after-
wards captured, was beheaded in March 1649. The title re-
verted to his brother William, who died two years later of
wounds received at the battle of Worcester, leaving no male
issue. The Duchy of Hamilton, by its patent of creation, de-
volved upon an aunt of these two heads of the House of
Hamilton, who was married to the Earl of Selkirk; the
latter in 1660 was created Duke of Hamilton for life. The
eldest son of the couple was James, Earl of Arran, who,
upon the death of his father in 1694 (the titles being re-
signed by his mother), became the Duke of Hamilton. These
were the heirs of the Marquis of Hamilton who attempted
to establish their claim to lands in Connecticut, and in 1683
executed a power of attorney to Edward Randolph to sue
and to receive their rights of interests in lands, islands,
houses, and tenements in New England. The case was
brought before the courts to sustain their claim, and Con-
necticut in defense introduced as evidence the prior grant to
the Earl of Warwick; but at the plaintiff's request that docu-
ments be produced to establish this grant, it was admitted
that, owing to the dissolution of the Council of Plymouth
fifty years previous, it was impossible to furnish the rec-
ords.
Randolph was the common enemy of New England, and in
every way attempted to legalize the claim of the Hamiltons
to the property; but the courts decided they had no title, —
basing their decision upon the fact that neither the Duke
of Hamilton nor his heirs had ever taken possession of, or
made any attempt to claim, lands under their patent for for-
ty-eight years after the date of the conveyance, Connecticut
76
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
thus triumphed over her enemies at home and abroad; if
the legality of the Warwick patent was not established, at
least any contestant was barred by the Statute of Limita-
tions; her land titles were protected against all other en-
croachments and demands of the future. The other dwellers
had the indefeasible claim of right, that they had opened up
the land and risked their own liv^es to make it habitable for
others.
77
CHAPTER IV
Dutch and English
THE Initial cause for the settlement of New
Netherlands by the Dutch, was the claim of
the Dutch East India Company that the ter-
ritory between the Hudson and Delaware
Rivers was theirs by right of the discoveries
of navigators in their employ; these two rivers were named
by them the Great North and South Rivers.
There was formed In Holland, in 1614, a new company
known as the New Netherlands Company, to which all the
rights and privileges of the Dutch East India Company were
transferred. The States General also granted them a char-
ter, giving them the control of all the coast country In the
New World, between the fortieth and forty-fifth degree of
north latitude, which the Dutch described as the country
lying between New France on the north and Virginia on
the south. This Interfered with the grants of James I. to the
Virginia companies, but did not deter the Dutch from keep-
ing or occupying what they claimed was rightly theirs by
discovery.
Before the organization of the New Netherlands Com-
pany a group of huts had been built on Manhattan Island,
trading posts established on the rivers, and agents of the
company had explored the coast on both sides of what Is now
Long Island Sound, ascending the Fresh [Connecticut] Riv-
er. The New Netherlands Company was succeeded by the
Dutch West India Company; which, as Motley ('Rise of
the Dutch Republic') says, "had a roving commission to
trade, to fight, and to govern for twenty-four years." This
company's main object was to despoil the Portuguese and
Spanish of their territory and possessions, and incidentally
to encourage settlement on the Great North [Hudson] and
South [Delaware] Rivers.
81
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Before this great company could formulate a systematic
plan to encourage emigration to the New World, the territory
to their north was occupied by the Plymouth settlement; and
their neighbors, instead of being the French of New France,
became the English of New England. The rich prizes to be
obtained from the Portuguese and Spanish so occupied the
attention of the West India Company, to the detriment of
their North American interests, that it was not until 1625 —
in which year the treaty was executed between England and
Holland — that the company took any active steps to encour-
age colonization. Peter Minuit, an energetic Walloon, was
appointed Director-General in the latter part of this year;
and setting sail for New Netherlands, gave the first real evi-
dence of commercial activity by exporting great quantities
of timber and furs to the mother country in the two years fol-
lowing.
The Pilgrims of New England viewed these transactions
with longing; and Governor Bradford attempted to secure
at least a share of them by establishing an Indian trading
post on Buzzard's Bay. The English, however, found them-
selves at a disadvantage through the fact that the Dutch con-
trolled certain territory, situated in what is now Long Island,
where were obtained in great quantity those shells from which
was made the wampum of their Indian customers. This
caused some correspondence between the governors of the
rival colonies, in the course of which the Plymouth executive
called the attention of the Dutch magistrate to the fact that
his people were settled within the limits of the English grants
to the Virginia Company. The Dutch governor replied as
follows : "As the English claim authority under the King
of England, so we derive ours from the States of Holland,
and will defend it."
82
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Deeming it advisable to preserve peace, the Director-Gen-
eral of New Netherlands sent his secretary, in 1627, to
visit Plymouth; in the guise of good-will and courtesy, but
more than likely to judge of the strength of the Plymouth
colony, and its ability to defend its possessions. The mes-
senger was received by the Pilgrims with a hearty welcome.
They expressed pleasure in the memories of their treatment in
his native country, and a wish to live in harmony with their
neighbors in their new home. These amenities were in-
terrupted by Dutch encroachments on Connecticut ter-
ritory, which they claimed to the west bank of the river,
and developed into animosities between the Pilgrims and the
representatives of that country which had furnished them
with home and succor in their destitution. These difficulties
were relegated to the home governments for adjustment;
but Charles I., being involved in his parliamentary troubles,
had no desire to enter the controversy.
The Dutch West India Company sought to have a com-
mission created to establish the boundary line between New
Netherlands and New Kngland. Expecting to accomplish
this undertaking, they instructed Governor Van Twiller, who
had succeeded Minuit at New Netherlands, to strengthen
their claim to the territory by the right of their discovery of
the Connecticut River, and purchase without delay from
the Indians, large tracts of land in the Connecticut valley.
This territory had been visited annually by the Dutch trad-
ers, and as early as 1623 they had projected the building
of a fort. This, however, had been delayed by the action of
the commanders of one of their trading companies, who
seized an Indian chieftain named Seguin or Sequin, and
demanded one hundred fathoms of wampum for his ransom.
The traders of all European countries alike were on fire with
83
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
a greed that cared nothing for a future they might not
share.
Governor Van Twiller, obeying the instructions of the
directors of the West India Company, dispatched Hans
Eenchuys to the mouth of the Connecticut River, where he
purchased a point of land from the Indians, and affixed to a
tree the arms of the States General. He called the pur-
chase Kieviet's Hoeck, on account of the cry of a large num-
ber of species of that bird known to us as peweet, but called
by the Dutch kieviet. The purchase of this land was for the
purpose of controlling the trade of the river, and exacting
an impost on all trading vessels. The following year Jacob
Van Curler, under orders from Van Twiller, bought from
the Pequots (who claimed the territory by right of conquest)
land located on the west bank of the Connecticut, about fifty
miles from its mouth, extending over one Dutch mile in
length and a third of a mile into the interior. This land is a
portion of the present city of Hartford. A small trading
post was erected, equipped with two cannons, and named the
House of Good Hope ; the territory was made free to all In-
dians for the purpose of trading; the jurisdiction was to be
founded strictly on peace, although this last provision was
soon broken by the Pequots, causing an estrangement be-
tween them and the Dutch. This was the extent of the pur-
chases made by the governor acting under instructions of the
Dutch West India Company.
Other tribes, disputing the right of the Pequots to the ter-
ritory sold to the Dutch, solicited the English to settle the
country; and they, stimulated by avarice, and wishing to
obtain control of the hemp and fur trade of the district,
looked with favor on the proposition. The Plymouth Col-
ony made overtures to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to
84
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
form an expedition for the purpose of establishing a trading
post in Connecticut; but Governor Winthrop of Massachu-
setts refused to cooperate, assigning as his reason that the
territory was inhabited by tribes of warlike Indians, and that
it was difficult to navigate the river owing to the shoals at
its mouth and the violence of the current. This, however,
did not discourage the Plymouth colonists, who in 1633 sent
William Holmes, with a company of men and a portable
frame house, to effect a settlement in the disputed territory.
The bold Plymouth leader and his soldiers met with no re-
sistance at the mouth of the Connecticut, but arriving before
the fort located at Dutch Point (now Hartford, but the ex-
act spot probably in the middle of the Connecticut), the gar-
rison threatened them with expulsion from the country.
Holmes paid no attention to these threats, and landing
below the junction of the Farmington and Connecticut Riv-
ers, now within the confines of Windsor, set up his sectional
house; the first frame building erected in Connecticut. To
strengthen their title, the Plymouth authorities purchased the
land from the original Sachems, who had returned with
Holmes to their native land, from which they had been driv-
en by the Pequots.
The Dutch governor, when informed of Holmes' exploit,
was astonished at his presumption; and addressed a formal
protest to him, followed by a body of troops with instructions
to drive the English traders from the district. This com-
pany, joined by the garrison at Good Hope, numbered fully
seventy armed men; and appearing before the palisades of
Holmes' fort, demanded its evacuation by the English. Lieu-
tenant Holmes, who was endowed with Saxon pluck, with ut-
ter annihilation of his command staring him in the face, stood
on the defensive; and the invading Dutch, seeing they could
85
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
not accomplish their mission without bloodshed, retreated af-
ter a short parley.
The retirement of the Dutch without resorting to force of
arms to assert their rights to the territory, must not be attrib-
uted to any lack of courage. They were In a difficult position :
their orders from Van Twiller were simply to make a display
of their force, and not to engage in any warfare that might
compromise the Dutch West India Company. They were
servants of that corporation, the purchases and settlement in
Connecticut had been made in their name, and not by Hol-
land of which country they were subjects. The English set-
tlements, on the contrary, were under the control of the gov-
ernment of England, now at peace with Holland; and it had
been expressly stipulated in the charter given to the West
India Company by the States General, that under no cir-
cumstances should It cause bloodshed among the subjects of
any country with which Holland had articles of peace.
Thus two belligerent garrisons continued to occupy their
fortified trading posts within a few miles of each other. The
inclement winter and disease caused great sufferings amongst
Holmes' company; but the Influx of settlers from the Mas-
sachusetts Bay Colony, which occupied the adjoining terri-
tory, strengthened the position of the English.
The land purchased of the Indians near the junction of the
Farmlngton and Connecticut was transferred by the
Plymouth Colony to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, for the
reason that the majority of the settlers were from this col-
ony and amenable to its laws. The Dutch regarded with
envious eyes the flourishing English settlements, on territory
which they regarded as their own by the threefold reason of
original discovery, constant visitation, and purchase from
the aboriginal owners.
86
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The English were adopting every means to dispossess the
Dutch of the fertile region of the Connecticut Valley, gradu-
ally encroaching on that territory between the Connecticut
and Hudson Rivers. To fortify their position, the Dutch
made extensive purchases of lands from the Red Men as far
east as the inlet at Norwalk, and on Long Island, where
the English had already obtained a foothold in the east.
In 1640, Fort Good Llope was occupied by a Dutch com-
missary with a garrison of about fifteen soldiers.
The English at their first coming had recognized the
Dutch rights to the strip of land purchased by them of the
Indians; but increasing numbers made them bolder, and
without more ado they occupied that territory for agricultural
purposes. This led to open resistance on the part of the
Dutch, who appealed to the English governor. The latter,
however, justified the act, on the ground that it would be a
sin to allow good land to go uncultivated when it could pro-
duce such excellent corn.
The following year the English, ever bolder in their de-
mands, claimed that the Dutch had no right to any land
surrounding their fort. The old protestations of the Dutch,
that they held the property by right of discovery, of pur-
chase, and of settlement, were ignored by the English, who,
to substantiate their claims, had a son of that Sachem who
was the aboriginal owner of the disputed territory testify in
open court that there had never been any lands sold to the
Dutch, and that his people were never conquered by the Pe-
quots. It was such performances as this that led the Eng-
lish government in Andros' time to throw all Indian titles
into the waste-basket and bar them from court. Any number
of such titles to the same ground could be obtained ad libitum,
as William Eaton, the hero of Derne, afterw^ards put it, for
87
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
"a bottle of whiskey and a rifle." Still more ludicrous was
the acceptance of Indian "conquest" and "suzerainty" as con-
ferring valid titles to land not even hunted over by them.
The Connecticut settlers appealed for sympathy and sup-
port to the Massachusetts colonies; but they rebuked the
cupidity of the English, advising them to grant the Dutch
more lands. Receiving no support or assistance from the
iiiother colonies, the Connecticut authorities decided to send a
representative to Holland to lay their grievance before the
officials of the Dutch West India Company. They se-
lected Hugh Peters (or Peter), who had a personal ac-
quaintanceship with the directors of that corporation. Pe-
ters was a conspicuous and much hated Non-conformist di-
vine, related by marriage to Governor WInthrop; afterwards
he became a noted Parliamentary preacher and Cromwellian,
and after the Restoration was executed with the regicides.
On Peters' arrival in England he found, owing to the un-
settled state of affairs caused by the difficulties between
Charles I. and his Parliament, that England's position had
been weakened with her foreign allies; therefore he was
unable to obtain from the Dutch West India Company any
favorable concessions for the Connecticut settlers.
The English minister at The Hague advised the prepara-
tion of a memorial, to receive the sanction of the English
Parliament, and to be presented to the Holland government,
recommending the cessation of hostilities. Through the so-
licitation of Peters, several persons of quality interested
themselves in Connecticut affairs, and a petition was drawn
up and presented to the representative of the States-General
at London.
The most active among the English partisans of Connecti-
cut was Lord Say and Sele, who alleged that there were
88
mmn FETEiRs,
Arch Intendant of Knglct'id.
(Born 1599: executed 1660.)
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
more than two thousand English and only about a dozen
Dutch residing on the disputed territory; that the English
were to be commended for having taken no violent action
against the Dutch; that the ownership of the Pequots was
not valid, their rights to the land being only a usurped title;
and that the Dutch claim was weak, they themselves prac-
tically confessed — for while the English had repeatedly of-
fered to arbitrate their differences, the Dutch governor had
always refused such a settlement. Lord Say and Sele also
claimed that it was a financial loss for the Dutch to main-
tain a fort on the Connecticut, and that its residents lived in
an ungodly way, nowise in accordance with the Gospel of
Christ; he threatened to eradicate the Dutch from the val-
ley before the close of the year. Although the Dutch ambas-
sador transmitted these petitions for the consideration of the
States General, they were entirely disregarded at The Hague,
and the mission of Peters proved unsuccessful.
During the pendency of the mission to England, the Con-
necticut authorities had made overtures to the Dutch Gover-
nor Kieft to purchase the Good Hope lands; and while he
refused to sell, he offered to lease, accepting as rent one-tenth
of what the land produced. This proposition the General
Court of Connecticut refused to sanction; and the settlers
still plowed the fields and drove their cattle to graze on the
disputed territory. The Massachusetts authorities had been
carrying on a correspondence with Governor Kieft, in which
they advised a more liberal policy on the part of Connecticut
than was consistent with her position, and created In the
minds of the inhabitants distrust of the Massachusetts of-
ficials.
The West India Company, deciding to push their claims in
the Connecticut Valley, ordered Kieft to strengthen the
89
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
garrison at Fort Good Hope. The Dutch Governor had a
company of fifty men ready to proceed to Connecticut, when
the outbreak of the Indian wars and the encroachments of the
Swedes on his southern boundaries changed his plans. The
English still continued to purchase lands of the Indians west
of the Connecticut Riv^er, notwithstanding Kieft's protes-
tations against their encroachments on the possessions of the
West India Company.
The meeting of the Congress of United Colonies held at
New Haven, in 1646, was enlivened by the submission of the
correspondence between Governor Eaton of the New Haven
Colony and Governor Kieft, in which the former agreed to
arbitrate the disputed differences. Connecticut presented to
the same Congress a complaint against the Dutch Commis-
sary at Good Hope for having willfully detained an Indian
woman, a fugitiv^e from justice, and servant of one of the
English colonists, from her rightful owners.
The Commissioners addressed a letter to the punctilious
Governor of New Netherlands, advocating the settlement of
the claims of the two colonies, and censuring his behavior in
no gentle terms ; and, while the communication was devoid
of diplomacy, its meaning could not be misconstrued. They
also complained that there were arrears of revenues due from
the Dutch traders to the English, and claimed that the Gov-
ernor aided his subjects in withholding payment.
In replying to this correspondence, Kieft made a flat denial
of all the enumerated charges; reiterated that the English
had no right to any part of the coast of Connecticut; and
threatened, if he did not receive better treatment, to avenge
himself by an appeal to arms. He refused to submit the
differences to any arbitrators either in Europe or America,
and demanded by what right the Congress of the United
90
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Colonies held their meeting within the limits of New Neth-
erlands. To these communications the Commissioners re-
turned a curt answer that all transactions between the colonies
and his Dutch Excellency Kleft were closed.
In 1647 Kleft was succeeded by the doughty Peter Stuy-
vesant. In a congratulatory letter from the Commissioners of
the United Colonies, upon his assuming the duties of his of-
fice, they entreated him to suppress the selling of firearms and
ammunition by the Dutch traders to the Indians, complained
of the Impost of the Dutch which Interfered with free trade,
and also of the seizures of English vessels and goods. To
these wishes Stuyvesant gave little heed; In 1648, he delib-
erately seized a vessel In New Haven harbor, belonging to a
Dutch merchant and planter of that colony. The owner's
grievances were laid before the Commissioners of the United
Colonies, who espoused his cause, and demanded a meeting to
settle In full all the misunderstandings existing between the
two governments; and until such differences were adjusted,
they refused ail maritime privileges to Dutch ships and sail-
ors, and threatened that If his Excellency did not see the
error of his ways. It would become necessary for him to vin-
dicate them by right of arms.
The last of the Dutch magistrates of New Netherlands
still maintained his arrogant and Imperious manner towards
the confederacy of New England; and enacted excessive
revenue laws regulating the commerce of the ports of New
Netherlands, which, as they were strictly enforced, caused
the Dutch skippers to prefer New England harbors for the
disposal of their European goods and the purchase of furs.
This came to the knowledge of Stuyvesant; and learning that
an Amsterdam ship had been trading at New Haven without
the requisite license from the West India Company, he de-
91
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
cided to seize the vessel for this infringement of the Com-
pany's charter. Assuming New Haven as under the juris-
diction of New Netherlands, he dispatched soldiers who
seized the vessel in the harbor and proceeded with her to
New Amsterdam, before the surprised residents had time
to interfere. This act was a bold assertion of territorial
rights, involving a question of international law; and deter-
red the masters of vessels from coming to New Amsterdam,
thereby entailing a financial loss on its inhabitants.
The Commissioners of the United Colonies met in Septem-
ber 1650, and with a view to arriving at some arrangement
for adjusting the differences of commerce and jurisdiction be-
tween the two neighboring colonies, extended an invitation to
Governor Stuyvesant to visit Hartford. He arrived Septem-
ber 1 1, 1650, in a style befitting his rank, but refused to at-
tend the meetings of the Commissioners, preferring to trans-
act all business by correspondence. This, while objected to
at first, was finally conceded, and the Dutch Governor in his
communication repeated all his past grievances, but unfortun-
ately headed his epistle "New Netherlands." This so aroused
the indignation of the Commissioners that it widened the
breach between the antagonistic parties. The Dutch governor
was obliged to compromise and change the heading of his
communication, for conceding that was abandoning their
whole case. After several days spent in the interchange of cor-
respondence, it was agreed to leave the settlement of their dif-
ferences, and the establishment of the dividing boundaries, to
a board of arbitration, to whom was given full power in the
matter.
The Commissioners chose Simon Bradstreet and Thomas
Prince, while Stuyvesant was represented by Thomas Wil-
let and George Baxter. At a meeting of the arbitrators, held
92
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Sept. 19, it was decided that as the greater number of the
differences happened during the administration of Governor
Kieft, the present incumbent of the office should be allowed
time to prepare his answer. The seizure of the vessel in
New Haven harbor was attributed to a mistake on the part
of the Governor's secretary, and therefore the Colony of
New Haven received no allowance for damages.
The boundary question, which was responsible for all the
difficulties, was disposed of in the following manner: "I.
That upon Long Island, a line run from the Westermost part
of Oyster Bay, and so a straight and direct line to the sea,
shall be bound betwixt the English and Dutch there; the
Easterl) cO belong to the English, and the Westermost to the
Dutch." "II. The bounds upon the main to begin at the
west side of Greenwich Bay, being about four miles from
Stamford, and so to run, a northerly line twenty miles up
into the country, and after as it shall be agreed, by the two
governments of the Dutch and New Haven, provided the
said line comes not within ten miles of Hudson's River. And
it is agreed that the Dutch shall not at any time hereafter
build any house or habitation within six miles of the said
line; the inhabitants of Greenwich to remain (till further
consideration thereof be had) under the government of the
Dutch." "III. The Dutch shall hold and enjoy all the lands
in Hartford that they are actually possessed of, known and
set out by certain marks and bounds; and all the remainder
of the said land, on both sides of Connecticut River, to be and
to remain to the English there. And it is agreed that the
aforesaid bounds and limits, both upon the island and main,
shall be observed and kept inviolable, both by the English
of the United Colonies, and all the Dutch nation, without
any encroachment or molestation, until a full and final de-
93
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
termination be agreed upon in Europe, by the mutual con-
sent of the two states of England and Holland."
The coast boundary above agreed on is recognizable still in
the curious southwestern prong of Connecticut, toward New
York.
The proceedings of the arbitrators preserved harmony and
peace during the winter of 1650-51; but the action of the
New Haven Colony the following spring, in attempting to
make a settlement on Delaware Bay, again aroused the in-
dignation of Governor Stuyvesant. Messengers bearing let-
ters from the governors of Massachusetts and New Haven
colonies visited New Amsterdam to notify his Excellency
that they intended to settle on their own lands on the Dela-
ware, and that they would not encroach on the rights of the
Dutch. These letters enraged the governor to such a de-
gree that he seized the messengers, obtained the commission
of the company, and made them solemnly agree not to pur-
sue their voyage; threatening further that if found making
any settlement on the Delaware, he would confiscate their
property and send them prisoners to Holland.
The Commissioners, at their meeting in 1651, after hear-
ing the complaints of those colonists who had attempted to
make settlements in Delaware, charged Governor Stuyvesant
with breaking the compact agreed to at Hartford the preced-
ing year. They notified him that the New England colonies
had as much right to Manhattan as the Dutch had to Dela-
ware lands. The Commissioners also resolved that if the
planters of New Haven should make another attempt, within
twelve months, to colonize Delaware, they would defend
them from all opposition. As a fact, however, the Swedish
Colony on the Delaware ousted the New Haven men the
next year,
94
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
While the authorities of New England and New Nether-
lands were attempting to settle their differences, — petty on the
surface but with mighty issues, — great changes had occurred
in England: Charles I. had been dethroned and executed,
Cromwell had been appointed Lord High Protector, and
war had been declared between England and Holland.
In June 1652 the General Court of Connecticut adopted
measures to defend the colony against the Dutch; the action
being caused by rumors that Stuyvesant was inciting the In-
dians to exterminate the English in all of the colonies. This
accusation was based on the alleged testimony of Indians.
Stuyvesant was enraged that so infamous a charge should be
credited on such worthless evidence (we may share his indig-
nation without' sharing his belief that it was credited), and
demanded an investigation. A committee appointed by the
Congress of the United Colonies journeyed to New Amster-
dam, but were unable to obtain any satisfaction from the in-
censed Governor; who, in a fit of excitement, asserted his old
claim of jurisdiction over the two Connecticut colonies.
The Congress of the United Colonies, after hearing the
report of the Committee, resolved on war, Massachusetts
alone dissenting; and this would have resulted In a dissolu-
tion of the Colonial union, if Cromwell had not Interfered.
The Lord Protector, solicited for aid by New Haven and
Connecticut, took their part; compelling Massachusetts to
yield, and despatching ships for the purpose of humbling the
pride of the governor of New Netherlands.
The Dutch and Indian Wars still agitated the colonies;
and on the arrival of Cromwell's fleet at Boston, the com-
manders of the forces entered into negotiations with New
Haven and Connecticut for the commencement of active hos-
tilities. Massachusetts was still opposed to any aggressive
93.
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
war, but granted the privilege to the officers of the fleet to
enroll five hundred volunteers if they could obtain them.
The Commissioners decided to raise an army of eight hun-
dred men, of which Cromwell's fleet was to furnish two hun-
dred, three hundred were if possible to be raised in Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut was to send two hundred, and New
Haven one hundred and thirty-three. These warlike prep-
arations were suddenly nullified by a declaration of peace be-
tween England and Holland. This cessation of hostilities
was a great disappointment to New Haven and Connecticut;
both hoped to avenge by war the wrongs and insults they
had suftered, in their opinion, for more than a score of years
from their Dutch neighbors, and not impossibly to gain all
Long Island at least.
The primary cause of all difterences, the maintenance of
the fort at Dutch Point, was finally removed in 1654, by an
act of the English Parliament declaring the Hollanders ene-
mies of the Commonwealth. The General Court of Connec-
ticut passed an act of sequestration, declaring that all Dutch
lands and properties at Hartford should be sold for the
benefit of the colony. The Dutch continued to govern New
Netherlands until 1664, when they were despoiled of all pos-
sessions in North America; and the grant of a patent by
Charles IL to his brother the Duke of York, who took pos-
session of the territory for the English nation, gave it the
name of New York.
That the Dutch title to some lands in Connecticut was
good, on the grounds then admitted by all civilized nations, is
beyond dispute. The English claim only rested on the dis-
coveries of Sebastian Cabot, who never saw or discovered
any part of the seacoast of Connecticut; the first white ex-
plorers were undoubtedly the Dutch, and though they were
96
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
only servants of a commercial company, they were by Inter-
national law the prior claimants. But how much land?
Where were its boundaries? Just so far as they could hold
by war. Therein lay the final decision in all these cases. The
claims by purchase made of the aboriginal owners, while in a
degree strengthening the land titles, were invalid, the condi-
tion of the sales never having been fulfilled. The Red Men
in disposing of their properties, in addition to all collateral
consideration, were to receive protection. But to protect one
section of the ostensible Indian owners was to be at deadly
warfare with another. Furthermore, neither side ever ad-
mitted Indian titles except on their own side, for reasons
above, noted, and because Indian occupancy, having no set-
tlement, had itself no boundaries to grant.
97
CHAPTER V
First Settlements
v^'
THE contention as to which town constituted the
first white settlement in Connecticut comes
solely within the province of the local his-
torian. It is claimed by Windsor, on account
of the Plymouth expedition under the com-
mand of Lieutenant Holmes; by Wethersfield, for the pio-
neer settlement of John Oldham and his companions, and
the erection of huts in that township in the winter of 1634;
by Hartford, for the original Dutch occupation and dispos-
session. To which should be adjudged the honor, is of but
trifling importance in the history of the Commonwealth as a
whole.
The Indian Sachem Wah-qui-ma-cut, when he visited the
Massachusetts colonies in 1631, extolling the beauty and fer-
tility of the Connecticut valley, and inviting the white man
to settle the territory, was received courteously by Governor
John Winthrop, although he declined to entertain the prop-
osition. William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Col-
ony, while he was interested in the description of the country,
took no active measures in the matter. His successor, Ed-
ward Winslow, had been a longer resident of the New
World than his brother executive of the Massachusetts Col-
ony; he was one of the Mayflower's passengers, and had a
more extended acquaintance with the Indians and the coun-
try than Governor Winthrop, who had arrived from Eng-
land only the year previous to the Sachem's visit.
The glowing description of the country by the Indian sup-
plicants so aroused Winslow, that he determined to make a
personal investigation ; and after accomplishing the journey
by land, he viewed the Connecticut Valley in all its vir-
gin grandeur. He named himself the discoverer of the river
and valley; but while without doubt he was first of the
101
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
English nation to plant his foot on the soil of Connecticut,
he was almost a score of years behind the Dutch explorers.
Governor Winslow on his return attempted to interest Gov-
ernor Winthrop in establishing a settlement in Connecticut;
but the latter, though he assigned other reasons, was loth to
co-operate, wishing to avoid difficulties with the Dutch who
claimed rights over the territory.
Here v,-e see a reversal of situations : the Pilgrims, who
on their banishment from England sought a home and pro-
tection among the Dutch in the Old World, stood ready
to rifle the nominal possessions of their former benefac-
tors; while the Puritans., who had asked no succor, stood
aloof from encroaching upon Dutch territory or disturbing
in any way existent harmonious relations. The reason was
obvious: the men of Massachusetts wanted only contiguous
territory to strengthen their own system; the Pilgrims want-
ed to get out of reach of Massachusetts, and a fertile valley
not in fact occupied, but only with a sign warning off tres-
passers, could be no deterrent and should not have been.
The valley was no part of the Dutch possessions, only of the
lands out of which they hoped to keep the English. It was
a dog-in-the-manger policy, and we need feel no sympathy
for the defeat. The situation was precisely similar to that
of the northern Penn lands and the Wyoming settlement,
minus the question of legal right.
The Plymouth Colony, with a desire to come into closer
commercial relations with the Indians, organized an expedi-
tion to establish a trading post on the Connecticut River.
The result of that expedition we have already related; but
a short time previous to the building of the trading post, pio-
neers from the Massachusetts colony had tracked their way
through the dense forests that bounded them on the west,
102
■ i^<::
dni:—cilrn^^c
72?.
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
and had viewed the many gifts showered by generous na-
ture upon the valley of the Connecticut. These English
pioneers were John Oldham, Samuel Hall, and two com-
panions from Dorchester, Massachusetts. Oldham was a
roving character who later met an untimely death in the In-
dian outbreak. During his wanderings among the settlers
of Massachusetts he enthusiastically described the lands he
had seen, telling of the open-handed hospitality of its abo-
riginal inhabitants; reporting that the rivers were stocked
with sturgeon, bass, shad, and salmon, that the woods teemed
with game, and that hemp and corn were cultivated in large
quantities by the Indians.
Several years previous to these preliminary endeavors to
found an English settlement in Connecticut, an event of vast
importance to the struggling colonies of Massachusetts took
place in England.
The directors of the Council of Plymouth, yielding to the
voice of a number of the wealthy and important residents of
the old country who desired to emigrate, voted to transfer
its rights under its charter, and its government, to New Eng-
land. Thus the Council of Plymouth transformed itself into
an American institution, and the King, glad to get rid of
his troublesome Puritan subjects, made no complaint. This
change was of vast benefit to Massachusetts : she immediately
formed a General Court, her freemen elected her executive
officers, and an impetus was given to emigration; ship after
ship loaded with English subjects arriving at Boston.
This great increase of population was in a large measure
due to the conduct of the King, who, after accepting the Pe-
tition of Right, dissolved Parliament and governed with even
more despotic sway than before the signing of the document.
These acts of Charles caused a number of the gentry and
103
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the peasantry to seek a refuge for the enjoyment of their lib-
erty and rehgion. Nonconformist divines, with the greater
part of their congregations, seeking foreign homes, were
naturally attracted to the Puritan Colony of New England.
This exodus showed such marvelous increase that in 1633
nearly half a score of churches were established in the Mas-
sachusetts Colony; Charles and his upholders were alarmed,
and the King issued an order prohibiting further emigration.
While this had the effect of retarding to some extent the
influx of emigrants, many evaded the decree; among those
reaching Massachusetts in that year, who were to become
instrumental in shaping the destinies of Connecticut, was
Thomas Hooker, accompanied by a party of two hundred set-
tlers.
This noted divine was a graduate of Cambridge, and
commenced preaching in London, but was silenced for non-
conformity at Chelmsford, England, three years previous to
his arrival in New England; and although forty-seven con-
forming clergymen vouched for his purity and soundness of
doctrine, he was obliged to relinquish preaching to become
a teacher. Further prosecution by the spiritual court caused
him to flee to Holland in an endeavor to escape punishment;
whence, after serving in the ministry in that country, he
came to America. Hooker was a powerful extemporaneous
orator, an eloquent expounder of the Bible; scholars, noble-
men, and other prominent men yielded to the fascination of
the beauty, power, and appropriateness of his language.
Many of his English parishioners had settled at Newtown
(now Cambridge), as had also personal friends and admirers
of his genius, and on their solicitation he was ordained their
pastor.
Among Hooker's fellow passengers were John Haynes, to
104
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
become the first governor of Connecticut, Samuel Stone,
Hooker's assistant, and John Cotton. The latter was a grad-
uate of Cambridge, and had been for twenty years Vicar
of St. Botolph's Church at Boston, but was obliged to flee
from England to escape trial as a nonconformist. Upon Cot-
ton's arrival in Massachusetts he became pastor of the First
Church in Boston; and though possessed of a highly finished
education, was noted for the simplicity and plainness of his
pulpit discourses. He has been called the "Patriarch of New
England."
Massachusetts by this time had become numerically strong,
and conflicting opinions had arisen. Division of opin-
ion had caused the emigration; still further division caused
still further separation. The minority alleged that the country
was becoming too crowded ! The excuse was decorous, but
grotesque. The truth was, they too wanted a place for their
own doctrines. The beauties of the Connecticut valley had
been pictured to them; and Mr. Hooker, after a year's resi-
dence at Newtown, decided to become one of the party peti-
tioning the General Court to found a colony In that portion of
the wilderness. This emigration was bitterly opposed by
John Cotton and the other ministers of the colony.
Hooker, as the advocate of his party, argued that It was
necessary for the colony to expand; that too many towns
were crowded Into a small space; that the people were thus
kept poor for want of tillage and pasturage lands, rendering
them unable to support their own pastors, or to be charitable
to new-comers from England. The advantages of the coun-
try to which they proposed to migrate were most eloquently
presented to the General Court, and the Importance of the
control of the Connecticut River politically, as well as from
a military point of view, was forcibly argued. The trade
105
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
intercourse with the natives already established by the Dutch,
the rich furs to be obtained, and the commercial value of this
navigable river with its tributaries, all demanded immediate
possession. The side of the opposition was ably handled by
Cotton, who urged that Massachusetts was most in need of
men to subdue the surrounding wilderness, and to protect it
against the savages that lurked in the forest's solitudes; he
further stated that the petitioners had given their solemn
oath to promote the interests of the colony, and that in de-
serting it in its infancy they rendered it liable to utter destruc-
tion, and at best, a hard struggle for existence. He pic-
tured to these seekers of a new country, that they committed
a suicidal act in exposing themselves to wars with the Dutch
and Indians; and urged that it would not be an act of ty-
ranny, but rather of benevolence, for the General Court to
prevent such a calamity. We may sympathize with Hooker
and yet find Cotton's facts the best. Massachusetts overpopu-
lated in 1634 is a humorous conception.
The General Court came to a dead-lock on the petition; for
while the representatives were in favor of allowing the privi-
lege of removal, the assistants voted against the application.
This gave a temporary check to Hooker and his co laborers;
but setting at defiance the edicts of the General Court, a num-
ber of the inhabitants of Watertown, in the fall of 1634,
travelled overland to the Connecticut. Captivated by the
meadow-lands, the natural scenery, and the commanding
ridges, suitable for dwellings and cultivation, of the present
Wethersfield, they founded there a settlement, which was
reinforced the following spring by about twenty persons
from the same town. The determination of Elooker and his
congregation to create a new settlement was not quenched
by their first failure. In the spring of 1635 the General
106
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Court was again petitioned; and though they yielded reluc-
tantly, they finally granted the permission, with the premise
that the emigrants still continued under the "jurisdiction of
Massachusetts."
Active preparations were commenced by the planters at
Newtown to enable them to migrate in the spring of 1636.
Other Massachusetts towns caught the western fever; and
several of the congregation of John Wareham of Dorches-
ter, in the summer of 1635, moved to a point on the Connecti-
cut River near the Plymouth trading-house, and laid the foun-
dation for a permanent settlement in the town of Windsor.
During the year 1635 the Watertown families, in twos and
threes, began taking up land in Wethersfield. The founder
of Springfield, William Pynchon, having selected a location
the previous year, in 1635 sent parties to build a house on the
west bank of the river. In the spring of 1636, he with his
associates from Roxbury effected a settlement which they
named Agawam. This plantation was united In joint com-
mission with the Connecticut settlements until Feb. 14, 1638,
when, becoming convinced that they were within the limits
of the Massachusetts patent, the settlers acted thereafter with
that colony.
In the middle of October 1635, sixty persons, including
women and children, left the settlement at Newtown and
began their wearisome journey through the forests, to their
new home in the western wilds of Connecticut. Their pro-
gress was delayed, encumbered as they were with such mov-
able property as horses, cows, and swine; the winter season
was pressing hard upon them when they reached the banks of
the Connecticut. Most of the party settled upon the site
where Hartford now stands, giving It the name of Newtown.
In the fall of this year the fort at the mouth of the Con-
107
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
necticut Riv^er had been established. The winter of 1635-
6 began early, the Connecticut was frozen in the middle of
November; the planters had arrived late in the fall, and had
not had time to prepare themselves for the inclement weath-
er; provisions became scarce, and destitution and starvation
faced the pioneers. Driven to desperation by the pangs of
famine, they fled back to the Massachusetts settlements in
small parties, regardless of all other dangers. Some waded
through the snow; others descended the river to the fort,
looking for ships containing their household goods, and find-
ing they had been delayed, seized a vessel and returned with
difficulty to Boston. Those who stayed subsisted on the wild
game of the forests, or dug acorns and ground nuts from
beneath the snow. The settlers feared that the Indians, al-
though hospitable, might at any time become vindictive; to
them the vast wilderness was a familiar home, to the white
man it was frowning with bewilderment.
These early settlers of Connecticut were patient and God-
fearing, and their Puritanic faith in the Deity upheld them
through all their trials. April came; as harbingers of spring,
the birds sang again, nature donned her green vestments, and
tight-bound buds burst into blossom. Those driven from the
plantations by the severity of winter returned, and brought
others with them, throughout the month of May.
In the early part of June Mr. Hooker and his assistant
Mr. Stone, with a company of about one hundred men, wom-
en, and children began a two-weeks' journey through the
swamps, vales, and forests, they must traverse to reach their
future home. The coming of this party assured the perma-
nent settlement of Connecticut by the English. The priva-
tions and hardships contingent upon all pioneering had been
met and vanquished. And with Mr. Hooker came a union
lOS
is
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From an old print.
THE EMIGRATION TO CONNECTICUT
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
of firm belief in democratic society, and of sagacity in choos-
ing the means for its beneficial embodiment, which has made
Connecticut what it is.
As it was in the genesis of Connecticut, so was to be her
future: ministers were to lead their chosen flocks into new
pastures; and on lofty elevations, and in fertile valleys,
churches were erected, while, clustered about them, sprang
up the habitations of their members. The three river
plantations formed the nucleus of settlements reaching to
the limits of her boundaries. Her colonists were largely of
the well-to-do English farming class, who left their native
country at the time when Puritanism was strong and militant,
and waxing ready to assert itself in civil warfare. There
were no convicted felons amongst her emigrants, negro sla-
very was confined to a few cases of domestic service, and
there were only a few Indentured white servants known as
"redemptloners." The Colonists were homogeneous In blood,
and eminent statisticians have estimated that ninety-eight per
cent, of the original settlers of New England could trace
their origin to the mother country. In the words of William
Stoughton, "God sifted a whole nation that He might send
choice grains Into the wilderness."
109
CHAPTER VI
The Pequot War
THE early English navigators to the New Eng-
land coast had created in the minds of the
Indians, by their violence, greed, and duplic-
ity, a distrust of the white man as a very
formidable animal of their own stripe; but
this was largely counteracted by the prudent and upright
conduct of the members of the Plymouth Colony towards
Massasoit and other neighboring Sachems, resulting in a
friendship and alliance that was of mutual benefit. As the
emigration of the whites Increased, the Indians became dis-
satisfied, as they saw the effect of Inclosure In driving away
the game.
In the spring of 1630 a great conspiracy to exterminate the
English was formed among the Indians, the leaders being the
tribe of Narragansetts. This plot failed through Its dis-
closure by a friendly Indian; but It warned the settlers of
Massachusetts of the dangers encompassing them, and was
the cause of the erection of forts, and the maintenance of
guards to protect them from fatal sacrifices In the future.
Of the tribes located in Connecticut the Pequots were the
strongest, the most aggressive, and the most unfriendly to-
wards the whites. The death of their Grand Sachem, soon
after the first settlements by the English, caused dissensions
between Sassacus, his son, and Uncas, a Sagamore of the
Mohegans, who asserted his right to the succession, on the
grounds of his own "royal" descent and that of his squaw.
These claims were successfully opposed by Sassacus; and the
dispute breaking Into open rebellion, Uncas was defeated and
forced to seek refuge among the Narragansetts.
Sassacus was a representative type of the New England
Indians ; he was intractable and proud, noted for his prowess
In war and wisdom In council; and as he was opposed to the
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CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
settlement of the country by the whites, he early began to de-
vise means for their destruction. He was at one time in su-
preme command of twenty-six Sachems, his headquarters be-
ing in the present towns of Groton and New London. The
members of his tribes lived on the coast, occupying the ter-
ritory for thirty miles into the interior. Sassacus had com-
mand of the harbors at the mouth of the Mystic and Pequot
(now Thames) Rivers, and his two principal forts were lo-
cated upon elevations, a few miles apart, in the country be-
tween these two streams. The largest of these was so situ-
ated that it commanded a view of the indented shore of the
Atlantic; here was the home of Sassacus, who with regal
authority administered justice, punished rebels, and sent his
ambassadors scores of miles demanding tribute; in the ex-
pressive language of those that feared him, he was "all one
God."
About the time of the difficulties between the Dutch and the
Pequots to which we have already referred, the Narragan-
setts, becoming more independent, resisted those demands of
the Pequots to which they had hitherto acceded; the Ne-
hantics wrested from them the sovereignty of Block Island,
and the Indians of the upper valley of the Connecticut, en-
couraged no doubt by Dutch and English traders, no longer
yielded to their authority. These difficulties, with the rebel-
lion of Uncas and the war with the Dutch, which cost them
the lives of a number of their warriors, together with the in-
terruption of their trade, were the forerunners of their sub-
sequent defeat and extermination.
Sassacus viewed with a distrustful eye the incoming of the
white settlers; and as their log cabins appeared in the wil-
derness, indicating the permanency of their occupation, he
sought means of retaliation against these intruders, at first
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CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
looked upon with disdain as tillers of the soil fit only to as-
sociate with his own female drudges. The summer of 1633
saw their first open hostility towards the English. Captain
Stone, a dissolute and intemperate man, lately arrived from
Virginia in some disgrace, left Boston in a small trading ves-
sel, accompanied by Captain Norton and a crew of seven
men, for the Connecticut River. On his arrival at the
mouth of the river, trade was opened with the Indians, and
Stone sent three of his men ashore to procure wild game.
The Indians appeared friendly, and came aboard the vessel,
where they were allowed to loiter at their ease. This over-
confidence on the part of Captain Stone, doubtless caused by
a too liberal supply of fire-water, proved his undoing; for
retiring to his cabin he fell asleep, and was promptly mur-
dered by the Sachem at the head of the party. The three
hunters were likewise killed, and an attempt was made to
slay the rest of the crew; but the Indians, frightened by their
firearms, leaped overboard. In the confusion a quantity of
powder was ignited, and the vessel almost wholly demol-
ished; whereupon the Indians returned to the wreck, slaugh-
tered those found alive, and rifled the cargo. The savages
engaged in this depredation belonged to the Pequots, al-
though it may have been possible that some of their number
came from the Western Nehantics.
The following year, the Pequots being still engaged In war
with the Dutch, Sassacus made overtures to the English, desir-
ing to obtain for his people the advantage of trade. A repre-
sentative was sent to the Massachusetts Colony, to promise
skins and wampum in exchange for a league between his peo-
ple and the paleface. The oflicials of Massachusetts Bay de-
clined to treat with his messenger, as he was not of the "blood
royal," — the early settlers transferred their own customs to
115
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the savages, every Sachem was a "King," his squaws
"queens," and his naked pappooses "princes" and "prin-
cesses" — and the sending of an ambassador of such low rank
was considered a discourtesy to the English. On the return of
his courier, Sassacus sent two Pequot Sagamores, who con-
tained enough of the blue blood of "royalty" to overcome the
objections of the Massachusetts authorities, and negotiations
were opened. While the English desired peace, they would
consent to no treaty that did not provide for the surrender
of the murderers of Captain Stone, and the payment of dam-
ages for the destruction of his vessel. The Indians denied
any participation in the murder, and claimed that it had been
provoked by Captain Stone's holding two Indians as unwil-
ling captives; that the Sachem in command of the rescue
party had been subsequently killed by the Dutch, and that all
other participants in the tragedy had died of small-pox, save
two who would be surrendered to the English If found
guilty. On the strength of these promises a treaty was made,
by which it was agreed that the English were to have all the
lands they needed, provided they settled the same, and that
they were to receive all possible assistance from the Pequots.
The English, in addition to the two guilty Indians, were to
receive forty beaver skins, thirty otter skins, and four hun-
dred fathoms of wampum ; they were to have all the trade
of the Red Men, being allowed to send vessels into their
territory for the purpose of barter only.
The wampum to be paid to the English by Sassacus was
for the purpose of procuring a treaty with the Narragan-
setts as he was too proud to deal directly with his hereditary
foes. The Narragansetts were not averse to peace; and the
English, by promising to pay some wampum, concluded a
treaty between the two tribes which lasted about two years.
116
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Now while the English, in thus creating an alliance between
two powerful tribes, may have erected a barrier to their own
advancement, it must be remembered that they were numer-
ically weak and that peace was to be obtained at all hazards,
that emigration might be encouraged, and thus an influx of
money and settlers place them in a position to resist those
Indian outbreaks which to a far-seeing mind were inevitable.
The treaty between the Massachusetts colony and the Pe-
quots was fulfilled on neither side, save that the English
made some settlements which received no opposition from
the Indians; Sassacus never paid the wampum called for, nor
surrendered the murderers of Captain Stone; and no vessels
were sent from the colony to trade with the Pequots. There
was no change of affairs for two years, when an event took
place that aroused the colonists to a consideration of the ob-
ligations of their putative allies.
John Oldham, one of the first pioneers of Connecticut,
with a crew of two boys and two Narragansett Indians, sailed
from Massachusetts in compliance with the Pequot treaty;
Oldham finished his trading in peace, but on his return was
murdered at Block Island. The crime was discovered and its
perpetrators punished by another trader, John Gallop by
name, who, with a crew consisting of only three men and two
boys, killed more than a dozen Indians. The Massachusetts
colony after this massacre was visited by three Narragansett
Indians, two of whom had been with Oldham ; they came as
messengers from Canonicus, their head Sachem, denying all
participation in the crime by any of the members of his tribe.
The Indians who had not been with Oldham confessed to the
authorities that the Narragansett Sachems, excepting Cano-
nicus and Miantonimo, were cognizant of the murder, and
that his two companions were accomplices in the crime. The
117
coNNEC ricu r as colony and state
authorities allowed the messengers to return, but demanded
that the two boys who were with Oldham should be surren-
dered, and that punishment be inflicted upon the guilty island-
ers; The boys were returned to Boston, and the government
then accused the Pequots of harboring the murderers of Old-
ham, and of being guilty of participation in the crime. The
only reason seems to have been that they had harbored other
murderers. The Massachusetts Colony, collecting a com-
pany of ninety men, placed John Endicott in command, and
instructed him, first to land on Block Island, and after put-
ting all the men to the sword, to proceed to the Pequot coun-
try, obtain the murderers, and demand one thousand fathoms
of wampum; to guarantee the faithful performance of these
conditions, Endicott was to return with the children of the
Indians as hostages.
To execute these instructions Endicott set sail from Bos-
ton, arriving on the shores of Block Island at the close of
day. The island appeared to be deserted, but the first at-
tempt of the English to effect a landing wms answered by a
volley from fifty warriors. In spite of this, Endicott and
his company spent two days in exploring; but so effectually
had the Indians secreted themselves that only a small number
of them were even seen ; although to those familiar with the
Block Island of today, it would seem impossible for a com-
pany of ninety soldiers to spend forty-eight hours in pur-
suit of any foes, without at least catching more than a momen-
tary glimpse of them. However, one Indian was killed, two
villages of about sixty wigwams were destroyed by fire, sev--
eral dogs were shot, and two hundred acres of corn laid
waste.
After completing his work of devastation, Endicott re-
embarked his small army, and set sail for the fort at the
118
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
mouth of the Connecticut. They were delayed four days
at Saybrook on account of bad weather; and after being re-
inforced by Lieutenant Gardener, the commander of the fort,
— who disapproved of the expedition but could not refuse
help to his own, — with twenty men, they glided along the
coast towards the Pequots' country and anchored in the
Thames, The next morning the expedition was visited by a
Pequot Sagamore asking the object of their visit. Endicott in
replying demanded the surrender of Captain Stone's murder-
ers, the payment of one thousand fathoms of wampum, and as
hostage for the fulfillment of these stipulations, twenty of the
children of their chieftains. The Sagamore, after presenting
his side of the question, was permitted to return to communi-
cate further with his people. His request that the English
should not land until further conferences had been taken was
ignored by Endicott, who speedily disembarked his troops
and formed them in military order on the shore. The same
Sagamore requested them not to advance further into the
country, but this was likewise disregarded through fear of an
ambuscade; and a position was taken on a summit over-
looking the surrounding territory.
Here three hundred Indians surrounded them, nearly all
being unarmed; and some, recognizing certain of the troops
from Saybrook, entered into conversation with them. The
English were informed that owing to the absence of Sassacus
at that time on Long Island, they could conduct no national
business. Endicott threatened that if some Sachem did not
appear to arbitrate their differences, he would begin hostili-
ties at once. The Indians still made excuses, but commenced
the removal of their non-combatants and chattels to a place
of safety. Endicott's patience finally becoming exhausted,
he brought the parley to an end, saying to the Pequots sur-
119
CONNECTICUr AS COLONY AND STATE
rounding him : — "Begone, begone, you have dared the Eng-
Hsh to fight you, and now we are ready." At these words
the Indians retreated, and Endicott marched in pursuit, for-
bidding his soldiers to fire upon the enemy. The Indians,
laughing scornfully, discharged a few arrows at the whites,
who retaliated with a volley that resulted in the death of one
of their opponents.
Endicott ravaged both banks of the Thames, burning wig-
wams, wasting corn, destroying canoes, and, in fact, doing
all in his power to exasperate the Pequots. After having
accomplished nothing he was instructed to perform by the
colonial government, except the destruction of the property
of the Indians, Endicott re-embarked his army for Narra-
gansett Bay, and arrived at Boston without the loss of a
single man. The Saybrook contingent, having secured bags,
remained to fill them with corn ; but while they were en-
gaged in this occupation the original owners returned and
gave battle, and although the whites finally effected their es-
cape, they carried away only a portion of their plunder.
This expedition is perhaps not too severely judged by
some historians as criminal folly. It was criminal because
it was managed with such incompetence. The one thing
which could have excused it was success, or rather an energy
and skill which reasonably merited success; bungling it
was the unpardonable sin. The punitive expedition in itself,
though so far as the Pequots were concerned it had no in-
stant provocation, was quite in accordance with their point
of view, and it would not have been possible to make them
understand the moral objections to it raised by their enemies'
descendants; nor, had it struck hard, would it have left them
with any feeling of injustice, or any other one worse than
anxiety to placate such redoubtable foes. But the men of
120
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Massachusetts had no business (as Lion Gardener told them)
to rouse this hornets' nest, of which the Connecticut brethren
would feel the chief stings, without being morally sure of
quelling it. To strike weakly or awkwardly was to incur
both the opposite evils, the wrath of a powerful enemy and
the contempt of a ferocious one. It should have been the
policy of John Mason or that of Roger Williams, unmixed.
Mason would have cowed them with a crushing blow; Wil-
liams might possibly have kept them in bounds for a few
years, till their lands were too much hemmed in. But to be as
fierce as Mason in attempt and as innocuous as Williams in
action could have but one outcome, — the Pequots were irri-
tated to vengeance and heartened out of any hesitation. Ma-
son's war of extermination was made necessary by this fumb-
ling bravado, and better lives than the Pequots' were sacri-
ficed by it. At the same time, something is to be allowed
in excuse of Massachusetts for ignorance of how to deal with
Indians. Winthrop says the only object was to "bring the
Pequots to a parley" — that is, alarm them into willingness to
make a treaty, like the Narragansetts. With a civilized race,
a mere show of force like this might have been effective —
though so gingerly a treatment as Endlcott's could hardly
have frightened any people of spirit, and it is not credita-
ble to the Massachusetts officials' intelligence that they were
so ignorant of what people all around them knew that with
Indians nothing but proved and crushing force would an-
swer. The Massachusetts men had not learned this lesson,
which Philip of Pokanoket was to teach them later.
The first move of the Pequots was to strengthen their po-
sition by forming an alliance with their neighbors the Narra-
gansetts; and Sassacus despatched two Sachems to induce
that tribe to bury their past differences, and to unite in tak-
121
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ing up the tomahawk against the Enghsh. This embassy
coming to the knowledge of the Massachusetts officials, they
besought the intercession of Roger Williams to counteract the
influence of the Pequot messengers. Williams at the risk of
his life accomplished the mission assigned to him, and was
enabled to form a league between the Narragansetts and the
English colonies. By this, firm and perpetual peace was es-
tablished; no compact was to be made with the Pequots
without the consent of both parties to the agreement; the
Narragansetts were to surrender fugitive servants and mur-
derers to the English, and to be notified of the commencement
of hostilities, when they were to furnish guides for the ex-
pedition. This treaty was to continue in force for an in-
definite period, the fulfillment of its condition descending to
prosperity. But although the Pequots were thus left entirely
to their own resources, deserted by all of their race, and ham-
pered by the rebellion of Uncas and his followers, Sassacus
would listen to no proposals of peace. He had gauged, as
he thought, their measure, and was willing to fight any num-
ber of Endicotts single-handed. Surely 600 Pequot warriors
could stalk any probable force of whites. Sassacus was not
a' mere reckless child; he knew the superiority of English
arms, but he knew that faint hearts can make no use of any
arms, and his Indians had their dark untrodden forests for
intrenchments. Ihe Pequots had always been successful in
past wars, owing to their superior force and bravery — quite
probably in origin they were a picked band of warriors who
thought their main tribe too sedentary; the English were a
new and untried foe, widely scattered, apparently unable to
place in the field a force more than a small fraction of that of
the Pequots, and seemingly inferior enough in courage to off-
set any superiority in arms.
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CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The Pequots began hostilities by attacking the English
stragglers from the Saybrook fort. They captured two of
the garrison while on a hunting expedition, and tortured them
to death; another captive was roasted alive. The winter of
1636-7 was passed by the occupants of the fort in a state of
siege; outhouses and stacks of hay were burned by the In-
dians, cattle were killed, and a trading captain and one of his
crew savagely murdered. The captain was flayed alive and
burning coals stuck in his raw flesh, as part of the torments
under which he slowly expired. It is not claimed that any of
the white men's wrongs to the Indians had included these
amenities, and not easy to see which ones had justified them.
Early in the spring of 1637 the Pequots drew the English
into an ambuscade, where they killed two soldiers and se-
verely wounded two others.
Until this time the Pequots had confined operations to the
neighborhood of Saybrook; but Wethersfield became drawn
into conflict in the following manner. The original settlers
of this town had purchased from a Sachem named Sequin
or Sowheag a large tract of land, with the proviso that he
might still live upon the land, under their protection. The
white settlers, however, subsequently quarreled with the chief
and drove him from their neighborhood. Sequin made a suc-
cessful appeal to the Pequots to avenge his wrongs; that
tribe promptly organized a war party in April 1637, sur-
prised the settlers of Wethersfield, killing three women and
six men, carried away two females into captivity, and slaugh-
tered twenty cows, besides doing an immense amount of other
damage. The news of this disaster became known at Say-
brook two days after its occurrence, and the successful war-
riors with their captives were seen on their return trip; no
123
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
resistance, however, was made to their progress save the
harmless firing of a cannon.
The settlers of the Connecticut Valley, as a whole, had
taken no action to repress these Indian atrocities until two
months previous to the Wethersfield massacre; when a court
was convened at Newtown, which addressed letters to the
governor of Massachusetts, deprecating the evil results of
Endicott's expedition, and calling for men and ammunition
to prosecute a vigorous war against the Pequots. The up-
per river plantations soon after this sent Captain John Ma-
son — a resident of Windsor, who had been bred to arms in
the Netherlands — with twenty men to reinforce the garrison
at Saybrook. This force remained at the fort until the arrival
from Massachusetts of a company of nineteen soldiers, un-
der the command of Captain John Underbill who had
served with Endicott; whereupon Mason and his followers
proceeded up the river.
The Connecticut setttlements had a population of possibly
five or six hundred souls, not including the garrison at
Saybrook, which numbered about thirty. The sending of
Captain Underbill and his company were the only steps taken
at the time by the Bay Colony to quell the uprising of the
Pequots, although they alone were directly responsible for it.
Undaunted by the small number of available men, in com-
parison with the war strength of their enemy, the Connecti-
cut General Court, at an extra session held at Hartford May
I, 1637, consisting of six magistrates and nine committee
men from the three plantations, voted to carry on a defensive
war; and raised an army of ninety men, provided with the
requisite munitions and supplies. Of this number Hartford
supplied forty-two men, Windsor thirty, and Wethersfield
eighteen. This was towards half, in all probability, of the
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CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
total number of adult males in the settlements; but writers
who are lavish of pathos over the doom of the tribe of fero-
cious freebooters who had driven their forerunners out of
Eastern Connecticut, can find no thrill in the heroism of this
band of farmers, who risked not only their lives but the wip-
ing out of their settlement in fire and blood and the torture
of their loved ones, marching against seven or eight times
their number of fierce savages intrenched in their own forests.
The expedition which set off from the foot of the now State
Street, at the present steamer landing, on that loth of May,
was the first organized military expedition, so far as recorded,
among the English settlers on the American continent. That
the settlers were better armed, and conscious of it, is only
to say that they were not committing deliberate suicide, and
were not fools for staying in Connecticut at all. It does not
change the fact that the expedition was one brave almost to
desperation; for if surrounded, firearms and all, the Indians
could tomahawk the whole with little loss of their own.
The chief command was given to Captain John Mason,
with Samuel Stone as his chaplain and spiritual guide. Nine
days after the little army embarked on transports, in com-
pany with seventy Indian allies under the command of Uncas;
the waters of the Connecticut being low, the voyage of fifty
miles down the river consumed five days, and the Indians,
becoming impatient, were put on shore to finish the journey
to Saybrook by land. On their march they encountered a
band of thirty or forty hostile Indians, of whom they killed
seven and took one prisoner. On the arrival of the expe-
dition at Saybrook, the colonists were delighted at this ex-
ploit of Uncas, deeming it a proof of his fidelity; but Lieu-
tenant Gardener, knowing the Indian character, remained un-
satisfied, and demanded that Uncas should capture some In-
125
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
dians he knew to be located on Bass River, before he ac-
companied Mason's troops into the Pequot country. This
task Uncas performed, killing four of the enemy and captur-
ing one who proved to be a spy. Uncas demanded and re-
ceived permission to torture this last; whereupon the pris-
oner's leg w^as tied to a post, and twenty warriors, seizing his
other leg, pulled him partially asunder. The revolting spec-
tacle was ended by Captain Underbill, who shot the misera-
ble wretch through the head.
Aroused by the actions of the Connecticut General Court,
the Massachusetts Bay Colony voted to raise two hundred
men, and the Plymouth Colony fifty men, to assist her small
but fearless sister colony. Captain Daniel Patrick, with
forty of the Massachusetts soldiers, was despatched overland
to join the Narragansetts; there to obtain canoes in which to
visit Block Island, where it was rumored the Pequots had
placed their women and children for safety. After the con-
quest of the Island, Patrick was ordered to return to the
mainland, and co-operate with the Connecticut troops in their
campaign against the principal body of Pequots.
This was the state of affairs: Mason and the Connecticut
troops were at Saybrook with instructions from the General
Court to land at Pequot Harbor, the Massachusetts colonies
had voted to raise soldiers, and the Bay Colony had already
sent a company of forty men to assist the Connecticut pha-
lanx. The Plymouth colony never furnished the company
voted by them. Winthrop says they refused on the ground
that the men killed in Connecticut were none of their own,
and records his indignant answer to such selfish and short-
sighted meanness. The Massachusetts colony raised one
hundred and sixty men, which with those under Patrick com-
pleted their quota; but recalled their marching orders on the
126
i
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
report, which seemed to come straight, that the war was over.
Neal tells a story which Robertson exaggerates and distorts
into flat absurdity, about the stoppage of the expedition from
a quarrel among the officers ov^er the "inner light." With-
out arguing the point here, it is enough to say that it is self-
contradictory as told, and the contemporary accounts make it
unlikely altogether.
The Connecticut troops were to battle alone with the more
dangerous Pequots ; not from Massachusetts' slackness,
but because speed was thought preferable to reinforcements.
Mason was averse from following his instructions to land at
Pequot Harbor; for the enemy, through various delays, had
become fully cognizant of the expedition and were within
easy access of the projected seat of war. He recommended
sailing for the Narragansett country, to attack the Pequots
in the rear; but this was bitterly opposed by his officers and
men. It was decided to settle their differences by requesting
Mr. Samuel Stone to beseech in prayer for guidance as to
the best course; and this good divine, after a night spent in
devotion, favored Mason's plan, which was then universally
adopted. Captain Underbill with his company decided to
join the expedition, whereupon Mason sent twenty of his
men to assist in defending the up-river settlements.
All differences being thus satisfactorily settled, it was on
Friday, May 29, 1637, that the troops set sail for Narragan-
sett Bay, where on the eve of the following day they dropped
anchor near the present location of Wickford, Rhode Island.
The next day, being the Sabbath, was spent aboard of their
vessels; and it was not until sunset of the following Tuesday,
owing to the threatened destruction of their fleet by violent
northwest winds, that a landing was effected. Captain Ma-
son requested of the Narragansett Indians the privilege of a
127
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
free passage through their country, and this was granted;
but they informed him that his force was too small to com-
bat successfully so warlike and aggressive a tribe as the Pe-
quots. On the same evening an Indian runner arrived at
the colonial camp from Providence, Rhode Island, with a
letter from Captain Patrick urging Mason to await the ar-
rival of his command. Though so large a reinforcement was
deemed of the utmost importance for the success of the cam-
paign, the delay was strongly opposed by the members of
Captain Mason's command, as they had already been from
their homes a fortnight, and they were anxious to return to
their families and farms. It was also considered unwise to
delay operations any longer, through the fact that there was
intercourse between the Narragansetts and the Pequots, and
the English were especially desirous of keeping their move-
ments as secret as possible.
The following day the vessels, in charge ol thirteen men
and a few Indians, were ordered to sail for the mouth of the
Pequot River, while the land forces, consisting of seventy-
seven Englishmen and sixty warriors under Uncas, com-
menced their journey westward. The country was a perfect
wilderness, intersected by forest paths, and at nightfall they
had accomplished only about twenty miles, arriving at a fort
occupied by the Nehantic Indians, a subsidiary tribe of the
Narragansetts. These saxages were suspicious, and would
not allow the English to enter their fort; which aroused Ma-
son's indignation, and as he also feared they might communi-
cate with the Pequots, he posted sentinels and kept the In-
dians penned up until morning. Confidence was restored,
however, when the Connecticut troops, augmented by at least
five hundred Indian allies from the tribes of both Narragan*
setts and Nehantics, proceeded on their march, reaching at
128
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
noon the Pawcatuck River situated on the outskirts of the
Pequot country. The native alHes, who the evening previous
had held a war dance during which they boasted of their
courage, and protested that they would destroy the Pequots
without any aid from the whites, found propinquity hardly
to their liking; and forgetful of their vainglorious utter-
ances, desertions began before a single foe appeared. After
the mid-day meal Mason had proceeded about three miles
further, when he was told for the first time, by his Indian
guides, that the Pequots were located in two forts; the one
under the command of Sassacus was so far distant that It
would be impossible to reach it before midnight. This
caused Mason to change his plans, and decide to attack the
smaller body near the Mystic River. An hour after sunset,
thinking they were near the fort, the English pitched their
camp, and Mason deployed his sentinels to a great distance
to guard against any surprise; while the tired soldiers, with
no shelter save the sky, laid themselves down to sleep. It
was a moonlight night, and the sentinels on their round could
hear through the stillness surrounding them the songs of the
enemy, filled with joy and exultation at the supposed flight of
Mason's army; which, as they had seen his ships sail to the
eastward, they concluded dared not face in battle the terri-
ble Pequot. \
The English arose two hours before daybreak, and after
commending their enterprise to God's care, proceeded two
miles, arriving at the foot of an elevation. Unable to find the
fort. Mason summoned Uncas and a Nehantic Sagamore
named Wequash, who had acted as guide to the expedition.
They informed him that the fort was on top of the hill, and
that his Indian allies were trembling with fear. Mason or-
dered them to form a reserve force in the rear of the Eng-
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CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
lish, and dividing his forces, assigned Underbill to attack
the foe at the western entrance, while he led the onslaught at
the northeastern extremity. Advancing to within forty feet
of the fort, the bark of a dog aroused the sleeping Indians;
and Mason, hastily giving the word to charge, dashed
through the entrance follov/ed by Lieutenant Seeley and six-
teen of his men.
It had been the intention to dispatch the Indians with the
sword only, in order to save the corn and other valuables
stored in the wigwams; and this order was at first main-
tained. The Red Men, owing to their amazement, offered
but weak resistance. Many were stupified with sleep, and
sought places of concealment under mats and skins; and
others were driven by Mason to the western entrance, where
Underbill had already succeeded in obtaining control. Sev-
eral Indians were killed at this point; but the work did not
progress sufficiently fast with the sword, and as there was
momentary danger that the main body might rally and break
through, taking their assailants in the rear, orders were given
to apply the torch. This was contrary to the instructions, but
Mason himself seized a firebrand and ignited the mats cov-
ering the rude habitations. Some of the Pequots in dismay
took refuge in the conflagration, and perished in the flames;
while others who tried to scale the high palisades were shot
by the English. Seventy wigwams and their contents were
destroyed, women and children burned alive, and those
braves who tried to tomahawk their assailants were slain with
the sword. The few that broke through the English ranks
were massacred by their Indian allies; and of the five hun-
dred souls who but the night before were wrapped in peace-
ful slumber, seven captives only were taken, and the same
number escaped.
130 .
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The English loss was two killed and about twenty
wounded; but their situation was anything but enviable.
Their surgeon had remained with the fleet, their provisions
were exhausted, their ships were far away, there was a scar-
city of ammunition, and they were in a strange country, men-
aced by Sassacus with hundreds of his fierce braves, who had
come down from the fort in haste. Mason, while debating
the matter of future movements, was overjoyed at the sight
of his ships entering Pequot Harbor. He immediately called
his troops together and beat a hasty retreat, harassed on all
sides by Sassacus and his followers, who, however, dared not
come too close to the muskets. For six miles the pursuing
Pequots shot futile arrows at the English, and suffered con-
siderable loss, while not an Englishman was injured. The
English regained their vessels, where they found Captain
Patrick and his company. Being unwilling to leave their
Indian allies in an enemy's country, they embarked the
wounded and thirty-five of their men; while the balance
with Patrick's command proceeded overland to Saybrook,
where they were welcomed with salvoes of cannon from the
little fort. Mason's company proceeded up the river to their
homes, having been absent only about three weeks, were
received amid congratulations, and were then disbanded.
The Pequots after the departure of Mason's soldiers re-
turned to their remaining fort. Heretofore they had always
played the part of conquerors, and their terrible reverses cast
them into disheartened gloom. The following day, at a coun-
cil of the nation, three propositions were submitted: to fly
the country, to attack the English, or to make war on the
Narragansetts. The voice of Sassacus was still for war;
he opposed forever the abandonment of the country to their
enemies He was overruled by his more prudent warriors
131
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
who, viewing with awe the devastations of the English,
feared to remain in their vicinity.
The Pequots avenged themselves on Uncas by killing all
his kindred save seven, who escaped by flight to the English;
then, applying the torch to their fort and wigwams, they di-
vided into several parties, and the land they had conquered
from less organized and yielded to better organized foes
knew them no more. A large body, consisting of several
hundred braves, women, and children, under the joint lead
of Sassacus and Mononotto, proceeded west, selecting a
route along the seacoast that they might have an ever avail-
able source of food. Before reaching the Connecticut, a
body of about thirty-five warriors, with their women and chil-
dren, left the main body and sought seclusion in a near by
swamp.
Mason's destruction of half the Pequots was received with
joy and thankskiving by the New England colonists; and it
was resolved that while the Indians were retreating, they
should be harassed until their power as a nation was com-
pletely broken up. Massachusetts now began active meas-
ures to equip an expedition of one hundred and twenty men.
The command of the troops was placed in the hands of Cap-
tain Israel Stoughton, with instructions to carry out the work
of extermination.
On a beautiful day in the latter part of June, this body
landed at the mouth of the Pequot River. Here they were
met by Narragansett warriors, who informed them of the
little band of fugitives hidden in the swamp. Stoughton,
marshalling his troops, traveled twelve miles to surround the
swamp, and slaughtered the warriors there. Of the eighty
women captured, thirty were given to the Narragansetts to
132
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
reward their Information, while the balance were sent as
slaves to the Bay Colony.
The determination of the Massachusetts authorities to con-
tinue the war against the Pequots led Connecticut, at the
meeting of its General Court in June, to authorize the rais-
ing of forty men, of whom Captain John Mason was given
command. This force joined Stoughton at the mouth of the
Pequot River, and after a council of war, it was determined
to continue the work. It is true that from a third to a half
of the "nation" had been wiped out, and that there was no
longer an immediate danger of their doing that good turn
to the English settlements. But who could tell what the still
surviving hundreds of warriors might do in alliance with
other Indians? The Narragansetts might change their mind
— a notorious Indian characteristic; there were other tribes
to join with; to leave such a band of desperate savages on
their borders was madness. It was worse than if they had
remained in their old cantonments : that might have left them
cowed and peaceful; this might indicate that, all hope gone,
they were wild for revenge. At least it was certain they
would murder and torture every white being that fell into
their hands. Within a few months before, thirty innocent
white persons, largely women and children, had been mur-
dered, many of them tortured to death, by these same Pe-
quots. Was no settler or settler's wife or child to dare go
out-doors for fear of some skulking fiend waylaying them?
The blood of every victim would be on the heads of the mag-
istrates who refused to take measures for protecting them.
Thus they reasoned, and created for us a peaceful common-
wealth in which to criticise them and their work from our
unterrified firesides.
The Colonial army marched to the fort at the mouth of
133
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the Connecticut, and embarking a large part of their forces,
proceeded to pursue the Pequots by water. A land con-
tingent, consisting of Uncas and his tribe with a few white
soldiers, easily traced the retreating foe by their camp fires
and captured stragglers. The fleet coasted along the shore,
and in three days reached what is now New Hav^en Bay. As
they dropped anchor, smoke was seen rising from the depths
of the forests, and the New Englanders, still in the heat of
conflict, hurriedly landed; but they were destined to disap-
pointment, for the smoke of the supposed enemy proved to
be from the camp fires of friendly Indians.
The army rested at this point for several days, and en-
deavored to secure information as to the Indian camp be-
fore assailing. This could only be done by spies, and they
bribed a captured Pequot, by granting him his life, to go
into their hiding-place and return with a description of it.
Modern writers say that he was to kill Sassacus if possible;
but none of the actors or contemporaries mentions it. The
spy returned to the English camp, and reported the number
and condition of the fugitives. Acting on this information
the army marched westward, and within a distance of twenty
miles sighted a number of Indians. The whites gave prompt
pursuit, and the Indians fled into a large swamp situated
within the original limits of Fairfield.
Here the Pequots were to make their last stand. At the
rapidly convened council of war, there was considerable con-
troversy among the oflicers as to the most feasible method for
the annihilation of the 'foes.' The plan of plunging into the
swamp and meeting them single-handed was at once voted
foolhardy; suggestions to cut down the swamp and to sur-
round it with palisades were deemed too arduous; and it was
finally decided to drive the Pequots into one of the natural
134
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
divisions of the swamp, around which sentinels were placed.
This cordon was so formed that the enemy could be starved
into a surrender, or shot one by one as they attempted to
fly. But the settlers were far more humane than their
modern critics assume; they had no wish to perpetrate a gen-
eral massacre of everything red, as the Indians would of
everything white. Two centuries later, in Black Hawk's
War, an American officer shot the Indian children scrambling
away from him up the opposite bank of a stream, and re-
plied to the humane remonstrances of a soldier, "Nits make
lice." The Connecticut people had more human feeling, or
perhaps two centuries less experience to exasperate them into
copying the Indians. At any rate, they offered to spare the
lives of all not actually red-handed from the murder of
whites; especially desiring to save the local Indians who had
fled into the swamp in terror of white vengeance, and the
women and children of the Pequots. Some two hundred
availed themselves of the privilege, all indeed but the Pe-
quot males; even they could have escaped with decimation,
some sort of inquest being held as to the actual criminals.
But they scorned the thought and preferred to fight to the
death. We may appreciate their constancy without malign-
ing their foes.
Nature fought for the Red Man, for instead of a bright
sun, the morning brought forth a dense fog, shrouding every-
thing in darkness. The Indians, taking advantage of the
mist, fell upon the English, but were repulsed; and in the
hand-to-hand fight which followed, about sixty Pequot war-
riors escaped, many of whom were killed the following day,
and twenty braves were found dead on the field of battle.
The English captured one hundred and eighty prisoners, to-
gether with a large quantity of wampum and Indian utensils.
135
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Sassacus was not present at the swamp fight; for, learning
of the spy's attempt, and deserted by his people, who accused
him of being the author of all their misfortunes, he fled
westward to the country of the Mohawks, accompanied by a
small number of his warriors. That tribe hated the Pequots
as heartily as did the English, as was usually the case with
any two Indian tribes, and were glad to see them annihilated;
and in the following August, to conciliate such formidable
warriors as the English, and please themselves besides, be-
headed Sassacus, his brother, and five Sachems, sending their
scalps to Connecticut.
Sassacus was perhaps fortunate in dying thus : to live like
Uncas, degraded into a squalid and drunken dependent of
the whites, was no fortune to covet. He had gained a great In-
dian position as a fearless and dogged fighter, and he never
declined from that height. He needs no pity, and may have
the respect due to courage and constancy, which are the bases
of all human advance, and are not dependent on race.
After the contest in the swamp, Uncas and Miantonomo,
head chief of the Narragansetts, met the Connecticut magis-
trates at Hartford, to divide their spoils. Two hundred cap-
tives were divided among the Indians, one hundred being al-
lotted to the Mohegans, eighty to the Narragansetts, and
twenty to the Nehantics; those remaining, together with
other avails, were distributed between Massachusetts and
Connecticut. A treaty between the English and the Mohegans
and Narragansetts established perpetual peace between the
two tribes of Indians and the English; the latter were to act
as arbitrators should a member of one tribe be wronged by
those of the other, and the Indian Sachems released all
claims to the lands of the Pequots, which were to be consid-
ered as the absolute property of Connecticut. A large num-
136
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ber of these captives secured by the colonies were shipped to
the West Indies by their slave merchants; those given to
their Indian allies were tortured and slain, and their heads
and hands gleefully exhibited at the English settlements.
The justification of the war has been made apparent
enough in the progress of the narrative. Connecticut had no
responsibility for stirring it up ; she was embroiled against
her will by the ill judgment and incapacity of the Massachu-
setts government; she did not enter into it till some dozens
of her inhabitants had met hideous deaths at the hands of
savages with no better claim to the soil than they, to whom
torture of helpless things was part of their training for life.
This might go on indefinitely, or till they had abandoned the
lands they occupied with the consent of earlier occupants
than the Pequots, and for which they had paid those occu-
pants; no man's wife, baby, or self would be safe from
stealthily prowling foes whose actions were those of devils.
The whites were doing no wrong, not even encroaching on
lands occupied with any shadow of title by any one else. If
there is any right of self-defense in the world, they had it.
Had there been any possibility of establishing a modus
Vivendi with the Indians, of sharing the soil with them, of
assimilating them, even of creating a peaceable protectorate
— an Indian Territory relation — over them and leaving them
to grow into the capacity of civilization, righteousness would
have demanded that it should be done; but no such
choice was possible to them. By the Pequots' nature and pref-
erence, one or the other must die.
137
CHAPTER VII
Civil Government and the Fundamental Orders
THE transference of the church headship in Eng-
land from the Pope to the Sovereign under
Henry VIII., the reversal by Queen Mary,
and the final victory by the "Act of Suprem-
acy" under Elizabeth, are universally known.
It is equally familiar that Elizabeth, like her father, was as
strongly opposed to every worshiper being his own Pope or
settling his own ritual as to their accepting the Roman. Like
Laud afterward, she could not believe there could be civil or-
der "if conformity stopped at the church door"; and by the
"Act of Conformity" all worship was to be conducted accord-
ing to state forms and in parish churches only. The adoption
of the "Articles of Religion" in 1562 completed the estab-
lishment by law of the Church of England.
From this date we can trace the beginnings of that body, to
become known as Separatists, which protested against the
errors the Reformation in England had failed to remove, and
which was opposed to the assumption of any power other
than Christ as the head of the Church; they insisted upon
worshipping God as their conscience might dictate and
in conformity with their interpretation of His holy
word. This sect at that period was undivided on the subject
of baptism, and other questions that afterwards gave rise
to various creeds. To the Separatists the Church was a spir-
itual association, and therefore distinct from the world and
its rulers, and in government followed the laws of Christ as
chronicled in the New Testament. They claimed the right
to form their own churches, to regulate their own affairs, and
to choose their own ministers. These avowals of principles
created enemies in the clergy of the established church, and
also gave offense to those temporal rulers whose spiritual au-
thority they ignored; this necessitated the holding of their
141
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
meetings In secret, and subjected them to endless persecu-
tions.
At this period the Separatists and the Roman Catholics
were the only objectors to the Church established by law in
England; but there were opponents to its ritual and its gov-
ernment even within its own fold. This internal party of dis-
senters were English reformers called Puritans, who returned
to their native country after having been driven into exile by
the persecutions of Mary and her Roman Catholic advisers.
The Puritans were dissatisfied that the principles of the Ref-
ormation had not been carried out in the constitution of the
Church of England; although the majority quickly accept-
ed the change from Catholicism, and hoped for further re-
forms that were never instituted.
Thus the foundation of the Church of England created
two other entirely distinct religious parties; the Puritans
within the established church seeking Its purification, and the
Separatists or Pilgrims without Its fold acknowledging only
the supreme authority of God. This distinction is important :
the Pilgrim contended for freedom of conscience and the dis-
solution of Church and State; while on the other hand, the
Puritans wished to change certain customs of the Established
Church, which they considered should be directly under the
control of their temporal rulers. The disciples of these two
sects of the same nationality, to avoid persecutions and to
find an asylum where they could worship God as their con-
science dictated, were to become pioneers of a new country,
and to lay the foundation of a civil constitution, the fun-
damental principles of which were to be accepted as the gov-
erning powers of a nation. None of these sweeping results
were in their minds, however; they merely intended to create
English municipalities of their desired type, where they could
142
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
work out their system free from interference. This fact is
answer enough to the dreary conventional fling that they
claimed liberty and denied it to others; it would be as sensi-
ble to blame a club for blackballing members whose avowed
intention was to turn the older members out of doors. If
people of different beliefs from theirs wished to live on this
continent, and to have the sort of towns they preferred, let
them settle and build where they would; surely there was
room enough there any time in the seventeenth century. The
men who came to the Puritan towns for no purpose but to
break up a system contrary to that of the old country were
not pioneers of liberty, but apostles of tyranny, actuated —
on a milder scale — by precisely the same motives which led
Louis XV. to refuse the Huguenots permission to emigrate to
America; and if the Quaker invasion must be classed differ-
ently, it is difficult to class it much more favorably. To take
advantage of the first emigrants' sacrifices and blood, come
into the comfort and shelter of their foundations, and claim
the right to destroy all that had made it worth while to erect
them, the founders felt to be an outrage; and the very ag-
nostic may find means of sympathizing with them. We are
giving their view simply; there is another clamorously in evi-
dence, but the first is by no means out of court. To say that
the Puritans' claim was untenable is far from saying that it
was either unnatural or unrighteous. Communities cannot,
it is true, maintain themselves as private or sectarian clubs;
dwellers drawn in by trade or industry or otherwise have a
right to use their influence in all legal ways to modify institu-
tions they dislike. But this is different from a purposed im-
migration to overthrow them ; and the older members have
at least the same right of resistance as the new ones of at-
tack.
143
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
The English emigrants, on their arrival in the infant set-
tlements of New England, took an oath of allegiance by
which they bound themselves not to leave the country if by
so doing they weakened the resources of the colony. When
the early settlers of the Connecticut Valley wished to remove
to their new location, therefore, it was necessary to obtain
the consent of the General Court of Massachusetts; and their
request was granted only on the condition that they remain
under the jurisdiction of that colony. There was no very des-
perate tyranny in this, for the first few years of a small settle-
ment on the edge of a wilderness of savagery. The Connec-
ticut settlement was beyond the limits of the charter of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, which granted it a commission,
investing for the term of one year certain individuals with
judicial authority to administer corporal punishment, and im-
prisonment for offences committed against the public good.
Thus were the political privileges of the first Connecti-
cut settlers derived from Massachusetts, which government
exacted a direct oath of allegiance to the Crown; but of
course all rights were understood as subrogated to those of
the Crown. These measures created among the settlers of
Connecticut a desire to exercise similar political power; al-
though their own experiences generated a much larger free-^
dom for the individual. They soon renounced their al-
legiance to the Massachusetts Bay Colony; and forming an
organization, the settlers established a government absolutely
exempt from outside control. It is the first instance in Amer-
ican history of the formation of a constitutional government
on a purely independent basis.
The first General Court of the River Plantations was held
April 26, 1636, at Newtown (soon after named Hartford) ;
though no business of importance was transacted except a
144
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
cautionary resolution forbidding the inhabitants to sell arms
and ammunition to the Indians. At a second meeting in No-
vember of the same year, Agawam was represented; that
plantation being so far from the Massachusetts seat of gov-
ernment that she was instructed to unite in joint commis-
sion with the Connecticut plantations. The last General
Court under the Massachusetts commission was held on
Feb. 2 1, 1637, when the famous resolution was passed dep-
recating the action of Massachusetts in ordering Endicott's
expedition against the Pequots, and asking her for assistance
to subdue the evils arising from this ill-advised campaign.
The boundaries of the plantations were established and the
present names of the towns adopted. Previous to this time,
Hartford was known as Newtown, Windsor as Dorchester,
and Wethersfield as Watertown.
The Massachusetts commission had provided that all free-
men, in transplanting themselves to Connecticut, were to
be considered an integral part of that town from which they
emigrated, and in which they were to retain all the cor-
poration rights granted them under the acts of the Massachu-
setts General Court. The settlers had carried on separate
town governments and exercised corporate powers ; although
at the termination of the Massachusetts commission which
was the first organic law of Connecticut, the mother towns
still retained their prerogative rights.
Representatives to the first independent assembly held in
Connecticut were elected under the Massachusetts statutes,
for the reason that there was no Connecticut law authorizing
the election. This was the special session held at Hartford,
May I, 1637, at which positive action was taken to prose-
cute the Pequot War, and levy the necessary troops; and the
promptness displayed is ample evidence of the independent
145
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
spirit of its governing body, acting on no higher authority.
That the yoke of Massachusetts had been completely thrown
off, can have no better illustration than in comparing the
resolutions passed by the last General Court operating under
her commission, asking for assistance to prosecute the war,
and the spirit evinced by the new body, in declaring war and
making independent arrangements to carry it to a successful
issue. Thus Connecticut in her infancy, a republic of but
three hundred souls, displayed the traits of her maturity.
By the decree of the General Court, Agawam was obliged
to furnish a quota of seven men for the Pequot war and pay
her portion of the expenses; but there is no official record
that she ever performed either of these obligations. Among
the causes showing the necessity for a firmer union between
the plantations was the defection of Agawam, which ad-
dressed a petition to the Massachusetts Bay Colony asking
permission to come under its jurisdiction. The settlers of the
river towns realized that a constitution should be adopted to
prevent secession from their number, and to bring their sep-
arate governments under one independent confederation with
an executive head.
At the General Court held April 5, 1638, eleven articles,
known as the "Fundamental Orders," were adopted. Of the
six magistrates forming a part of this Court, Hartford sent
John Haynes and Thomas Welles ; Windsor, Roger Ludlow
and William Phelps; Wethersfield, John Plum and Matthew
Mitchell. Of the eleven committeemen, George Hull, Cap-
tain John Mason, Thomas Ford, and Thomas Marshall,
were from Windsor; John Webster, John Talcott, John
Steele, and Edward Hopkins, from Hartford; Andrew
Ward, Thurston Raynor, and George Hubbard from Weth-
ersfield. This was the first written constitution to be promul-
146
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
gated in America, but there is no evidence that it was ever
adopted by a direct vote of the people.
With a forecasting statesmanship excessively rare at the
time, and the more remarkable among a people dominated
by religious sentiment and headed by a clergyman, State and
Church were severed; each was to exercise its own mission,
and with it the fundamental power emanating directly from
the people. The striking features of this remarkable docu-
ment were, that there should be no taxation without repre-
sentation ; that towns should be recognized as primary centers
of government, though they relinquished part of their power
to the General Court, as a guarantee for the future preserva-
tion of the rest. The only supreme power mentioned is the
Commonwealth, the existence of the King being totally ig-
nored by the law-makers of Connecticut. Such was the oldest
of American constitutions; it was to be the guide in the for-
mation of those of her sister States, as well as a foundation
for the system of representation, of the American Republic.
To whose fertile brain, ready pen, and legal ability must we
credit the production of this instrument, which has but lately
received its full due? In that assemblage of seventeen men,
there was but one equipped by nature and education to per-
form this task.
Roger Ludlow was an English lawyer of excellent family,
kin to the democrat and regicide Edmund Ludlow. In the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, he was made an Assistant, and re-
tained the office four years. But he was not democratic in
his personal sentiments : he bitterly opposed transferring the
election of governor from the magistrates to the freemen, and
declared that in that case "we should have no government"
— which reminds one strikingly of the Duke of Wellington's
question "how the King's government was to be carried on"
147
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
if the Reform Bill were passed. Still, others thought and
said the same thing, and the freemen were used to this
sentiment. Ludlow's abilities were respected, and he was
made deputy-governor In 1635. He hoped to be governor
the next year; but John Haynes was preferred to him. He
was incensed at the evidences of a "slate" having been pre-
pared, and with his usual uncalculating hot temper, de-
nounced the election as void. The freemen punished this
outbreak by dropping him from the magistracy; but the Gen-
eral Court tried to soothe him by appointing him one of its
military committee, practically the military dictators of the
colony — a position of honor. He was out of temper, how-
ever, removed to Windsor the same year — doubtless for high-
er position, — and was the first lawyer of the river towns.
His name heads the roll of the five who held the first court
of Connecticut, before It had a constitution of Its own, and
he may be called the first acting governor. At the first elec-
tion held under the "Fundamental Orders," he was elected
deputy-governor; but his former opponent Haynes had fol-
lowed the colony from Massachusetts, had been eagerly wel-
comed and his name placed above Ludlow's on the roll of
magistrates, and he w^as chosen governor. If Ludlow was
disappointed, as is probable enough, he had learned discre-
tion, and made no sign. He remained in Connecticut, and
did it a service of the first value when in 1646 he prepared
a digest or codification of her crude laws, which was re-
corded in each town. As a result of later events, probably
feeling fretted by the parish politics of the little colony, and
glad to return to the main stream of events, he left Connecti-
cut and passed his latter years in Holyhead, Wales; though
there is a tradition that he returned to Virginia to take
charge of his brother's property as trustee.
148
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
We append a copy of the constitution under which Connec-
ticut was governed for nearly two hundred years.
THE FIRST CONSTITUTION OF CONNECTICUT.
THE "fundamental ORDERS"; 1638-9.
Forasmuch as it hath pleased the Almighty God by the
wise disposition of his divine providence so to order and dis-
pose of things that we the Inhabitants and Residents of
Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield are now^ cohabiting
and dwelling in and upon the River of Conectecotte and the
lands thereunto adjoining; and well knowing where a people
are gathered together the word of God requires that to main-
tain the peace and union of such a people there should be an
orderly and decent Government established according to
God, to order and dispose of the affairs of the people at all
seasons as occasion shall require ; do therefore associate and
conjoin ourselves to be as one Public State or Common-
wealth ; and do for ourselves and our Successors and such as
shall be adjoined to us at any time hereafter, enter into Com-
bination and Confederation together, to maintain and pre-
serve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
which we now profess, as also the discipline of the Churches,
which according to the truth of the said Gospel is now prac-
ticed amongst us; as also in our Civil Affairs to be guided
and governed according to such Laws, Rules, Orders, and
Decrees as shall be made, ordered, and decreed, as fol-
loweth : —
I. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that there shall
be yearly two General Assemblies or Courts, the one the sec-
ond Thursday in April, the other the second Thursday in
149
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
September following; the first shall be called the Court of
Election, wherein shall be yearly chosen from time to time
so many Magistrates and other public Officers as shall be
found requisite : Whereof one to be chosen Governor for the
year ensuing and until another be chosen, and no other Mag-
istrate to be chosen for more than one year; provided always,
there be six chosen besides the Governor, which being chosen
and sworn according to an Oath recorded for that purpose,
shall have power to administer justice according to the Laws
here established, and for want thereof, according to the rule
of the Word of God; which choice shall be made by all that
are admitted freemen and have taken the Oath of Fidelity,
and do cohabit within this Jurisdiction (having been admit-
ted Inhabitants by the major part of the Town wherein they
live) * or the major part of such as shall be then present.
2. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that the Election
of the aforesaid Magistrates shall be on this manner: every
person present and qualified for choice shall bring in (to the
persons deputed to receive them) one single paper with the
name of him written in it whom he desires to have Governor,
and he that hath the greatest number of papers shall be Gov-
ernor for that year. And the rest of the Magistrates or pub-
lic Officers to be chosen in this manner: the Secretary for the
time being shall first read the names of all that are to be put
to choice and then shall severally nominate them distinctly,
and every one that would have the person nominated to be
chosen shall bring in one single paper written upon, and he
that would not have him chosen shall bring in a blank: and
every one that hath more written papers than blanks shall be
a Magistrate for that year; which papers shall be received
• This clause was interlined in a different handwriting, and is of a later date. It
was adopted by the General Court of November, 1643.
150
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
and told by one or more that shall be then chosen by the court
and sworn to be faithful therein ; but in case there should
not be six chosen as aforesaid, besides the Governor, out of
those which are nominated, then he or they which have the
most written papers shall be a Magistrate or Magistrates for
the ensuing year, to make up the aforesaid number.
3. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that the Secre-
tary shall not nominate any person, nor shall any person be
chosen newly into the Magistracy, which was not propound-
ed in some General Court before, to be nominated the next
Election ; and to that end it shall be lawful for each of the
Towns aforesaid by their deputies to nominate any two whom
they conceive fit to be put to election; and the Court may add
so many more as they judge requisite.
4. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that no person
be chosen Governor above once in two years, and that the
Governor be always a member of some approved congrega-
tion, and formerly of the Magistracy within this Jurisdiction;
and all the Magistrates, Freemen of this Commonwealth:
and that no Magistrate or other public officer shall execute
any part of his or their office before they are severally sworn,
which shall be done in the face of the court if they be present,
and in case of absence by some deputed for that purpose.
5. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that to the afore-
said Court of Election the several Towns shall send their
deputies, and when the Elections are ended they may pro-
ceed in any public service as at other Courts. Also the other
General Court in September shall be for making of laws, and
any other public occasion, which concerns the good of the
Commonwealth.
6. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that the Gover-
nor shall, either by himself or by the secretary, send out sum-
151
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
mons to the constables of every Town for the calling of these
two standing Courts, one month at least before their several
times : And also if the Governor and the greatest part of the
Magistrates see cause upon any special occasion to call a
General Court, they may give order to the Secretary so to
do within fourteen days' warning: and if urgent necessity so
require, upon a shorter notice, giving sufficient grounds for it
to the deputies when they meet, or else be questioned for the
same; and if the Governor and major part of Magistrates
shall either neglect or refuse to call the two General standing
Courts or either of them, as also at other times when the
occasions of the Commonwealth require, the Freemen there-
of, or the major part of them, shall petition to them so to do;
if then it be either denied or neglected, the said Freemen,
or the major part of them, shall have power to give order to
the Constables of the several Towns to do the same, and so
may meet together, and choose to themselves a Moderator,
and may proceed to do any act of power which any other
General Court may.
7. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that after there
are warrants given out for any of the said General Courts,
the Constable or Constables of each Town shall forthwith
give notice distinctly to the inhabitants of the same, in some
public assembly or by going or sending from house to house,
that at a place and time by him or them limited and set, they
meet and assemble themselves together to elect and choose
certain deputies to be at the General Court then following to
agitate the affairs of the Commonwealth; which said depu-
ties shall be chosen by all that are admitted Inhabitants in the
several Towns and have taken the oath of fidelity; provided
that none be chosen a Deputy for any General Court which
is not a Freeman of this Commonwealth,
152
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The aforesaid deputies shall be chosen in manner follow-
ing: every person that is present and quaiitied as before ex-
pressed, shall bring the names of such, written in several pa-
pers, as they desire to hav^e chosen for that employment, and
these three or four, more or less, being the number agreed
on to be chosen for that time, that have greatest number of
papers written for them shall be deputies for that Court;
whose names shall be endorsed on the back side of the war-
rant and returned into the Court, with the constable or con-
stables' hand unto the same.
8. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that Windsor,
Hartford, and Wetherslield shall have power, each Town, to
send four of their Freemen as their deputies to every General
Court ; and whatsoever other Towns shall be hereafter added
to this Jurisdiction, they shall send so many deputies as the
Court shall judge meet, a reasonable proportion to the num-
ber of Freemen that are in the said Towns being to be at-
tended therein; which deputies shall have the power of the
whole Town to give their votes and allowance to all such
laws and orders as may be for the public good, and unto
which the said towns are to be bound.
9. It is Ordered and decreed, that the deputies thus chosen
shall have power and liberty to appoint a time and a place
of meeting together before any General Court, to advise and
consult of all such things as may concern the good of the pub-
lic, as also to examine their own Elections, whether accord-
ing to the order, and if they or the greatest part of them
find any election to be illegal they may seclude such for pres-
ent from their meeting, and return the same and their rea-
sons to the Court; and if it prove true, the Court may fine
the party or parties so intruding, and the Town, If they see
cause, and give out a warrant to go to a new election in a
153
CONNEC nCUT AS COLONY AND STATE
legal wav, either in part or in whole. Also the said deputies
shall have power to fine any that shall be disorderly at their
meetings, or for not coming in due time or place according
to appointment; and they may return the said fines into the
Court if it be refused to be paid, and the Treasurer to take
notice of it, and to eshceat or levy the same as he doth other
fines.
lo. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that every Gen-
eral Court, except such as through neglect of the Governor
and the greatest part of Magistrates the Freemen themselves
do call, shall consist of the Governor, or some one chosen
to moderate the Court, and four other Magistrates at least,
with the major part of the deputies of the several Towns
legally chosen; and in case the Freemen, or major part of
them, through neglect or refusal of the Governor and major
part of the magistrates, shall call a Court, it shall consist of
the major part of Freeman that are present or their deputies,
with a Moderator chosen by them : In which said General
Courts shall consist the supreme power of the Common-
wealth, and they only shall have power to make laws or re-
peal them to grant levies, to admit of Freemen, dispose of
lands undisposed of, to several Towns or persons, and also
shall have power to call either court or Magistrate or any
other person whatsoever into question for any misdemeanor,
and may for just causes displace or deal otherwise according
to the nature of the offence; and also may deal in any other
matter that concerns the good of this Commonwealth, except
election of Magistrates, which shall be done by the whole
body of Freemen.
In which Court the Governor or Moderator shall have
power to order the Court, to give liberty of speech, and si-
lence unseasonable and disorderly speakings, to put all things
154
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
to vote, and in case the vote be equal to have the casting
voice. But none of these Courts shall be adjourned or dis-
solved without the consent of the major part of the Court.
II. It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that when any
General Court upon the occasions of the Commonwealth
have agreed upon any sum or sums of money to be levied
upon the several Towns within this Jurisdiction, that a com-
mittee be chosen to set out and appoint what shall be the pro-
portion of every Town to pay of the said levy, provided the
committees be made up of an equal number out of each Town.
14th January, 1638 [N. S., 24th January, 1639], the 11
Orders abovesaid are voted.
155
CHAPTER VIII
Early Connecticut Governors
IN accordance with the "Fundamenta! Orders," the
colonists exercised their right of franchise; and at a
general election in April 1639, John Haynes was
chosen governor, continuing to be elected to this of-
fice every alternate year until his death, serving for
eight terms. Governor Haynes, who was a descendant of an
old and wealthy English family, was born in the county of
Hertford in 1594. His removal from the Bay Colony, of
which he was once governor, as we have already stated, has
been attributed to a jealousy of Governor Winthrop; but it
was most likely due to a wish to continue his intimacy with
Mr. Hooker. Governor Haynes was to the civil life of the
new settlement what Mr. Hooker was to the religious. A
wise and careful legislator, endowed with moderate wealth
and generous disposition, he was an ideal example of the re-
publicanism of the period.
The second governor of Connecticut was Edward Hop-
kins, who was first elected in 1640 and chosen to his second
term in 1644, being thereafter re-elected every alternate
year, until he had served seven terms. Hopkins was born in
Shrewsbury, England, at the beginning of the seventeenth
century, and in his early manhood was identified with the
mercantile interests of London; his business gradually ex-
tended to foreign countries, and in due course he became a
wealthy English landholder. Hopkins was a communicant
of St. Stephen's parish, where Mr. John Davenport preach-
ed, and married a daughter of Theophilus Eaton, a mem-
ber of that congregation. In 1637 the three decided to
emigrate to ^America ; on landing at Boston, Hopkins pro-
ceeded to Hartford, which he made his future home. Gov-
ernor Hopkins engaged in trade in the New World, and es-
tablished posts on the upper Connecticut River. By the death
159
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
of a brother, he was recalled to England in 1653, and in-
herited the position of Keeper of the Fleet Prison, afterwards
becoming a lord of the admiralty and member of Parlia-
ment. His death occurred in 1657, he having been for many
years a constant sufferer from ill health.
The third occupant of the Governor's chair was George
Wyllys, who was elected to the position in the spring of 1642
and held the office one year. He was born in England, coun-
ty of Warwick, about 1570, and was a man of means and
rank. He was an ardent Puritan, and although of advanced
age, he decided to emigrate to America, for the purpose of
mingling with congenial spirits. In 1636 he sent to New
England his steward, with twenty men, to purchase an es-
tate and erect a dwelling-house. The steward selected a
square, now near the center of the city of Hartford, on
which was located the famous Charter Oak, and prepared a
home for his employer. Wyllys arrived in 1638 and took an
active part in the early politics of the colony, until his retire-
ment from the office of governor. He died in 1645; ^^^
though not a great man, his public character was spotless, and
his private life of marked calmness and purity. There was a
new aspirant for gubernatorial honors in 1655, and Thomas
Welles was elected to office. There is but little known of his
early life; but in 1635, accompanied by his wife, he left
Northamptonshire on the charge of nonconformity, and came
to America the following year, in the service of Lord Say
and Sele, settling at Saybrook. In the same year, with others
of the Saybrook settlers, he came to Hartford. He was the
first treasurer of the Colony, which office he held till 1651,
when he asked to be relieved of his duties. He was governor
two years, and died at Wethersfield on Jan. 14, 1660, in his
sixty-second year.
160
(^^T^ \0>!^/^^
COiNNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Governor Welles was succeeded after his first term of of-
fice by John Webster, who tradition says was a native of
Warwick. But little is known of Governor Webster; he was
one of the original proprietors of Hartford, and one of the
magistrates of the colony from 1639 to 1655. After his re-
tirement as executive officer of the colony, he removed to
Hadley, Mass., where he died in 1661.
The successor of Governor Webster was John Winthrop,
known in history as the younger, to distinguish him from his
father, who was gov-ernor of Massachusetts and founder of
the famous Winthrop family in America. It is conceded that
the younger Winthrop was the most distinguished and schol-
arly of the early governors of the colony. He had passed the
half-century mark when first elected governor, but he had
been so closely identified with the colony that his personal
biography is to a certain extent a history of that portion of
New England. He was re-elected in 1659; and being
anxious to retain him in the position, the freemen of the col-
ony abolished the restriction incorporated in the "Funda-
mental Orders," that no man was to be chosen to the office of
governor two years in succession. His career as governor
was continuous from this time until his death in 1676, and in
length of service exceeded that of any other occupant of the
position. Governor Winthrop is acknowledged to have
been one of the most distinguished characters in New Eng-
land. While his Puritanism was of the finest type, his eulo-
gists embraced the members of every denomination in both
worlds. The beautiful testimony of his father expresses his
worth in a single sentence : "God gave him favor in the eyes
of all with whom he had to do."
One of the most important events that took place during
the administration of these early governors was the arrival
161
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
of George Fenwick (already mentioned), who landed at the
mouth of the Connecticut River. There had been no civil
government established when the fort at this point was
erected, only a garrison having been maintained. Mr. Fen-
wick on his arrival made a permanent settlement, which was
named Saybrook in honor of two of its original patentees,
Lord Say and Sele and Lord Brook. A body politic was
formed by Mr. Fenwick and administered by him, indepen-
dent of and owing no allegiance to Connecticut. This settle-
ment continued its independent existence till December 5,
1644, when the General Court of Connecticut purchased Say-
brook Fort with its appurtenances, and all lands in the col-
ony claimed by those proprietors interested in the Warwick
patent; with the stipulation that Mr. Fenwick was to have
possession of all buildings belonging to the fort for a period
of ten years, and receive for a like term a duty on all corn,
biscuits, bacon, and cattle exported from the mouth of the
river. The General Court ratified this agreement in Febru-
ary 1645, thereby creating the first tariff ever sanctioned by
the people of Connecticut. The duties were as follows :
"ist. Each bushel of corn of all sorts, or meal that shall
pass out of the river's mouth, shall pay two pence per bushel.
"2nd. Every hundred biscuit that shall in like manner pass
out of the river's mouth shall pay six pence.
"3rd. Each milch cow and mare, of three years or up-
wards, within any of the towns or farms upon the river, shall
pay twelve pence per annum during the aforesaid term.
"4th. Each hog or sow, that is killed by any particular
person within the limits of the river and the jurisdiction
aforesaid, to be improved either for his own particular use
or to make market of, shall in like manner, pay twelve pence
per annum.
162
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
"5th. Each hogshead of beaver traded within the limits of
the river, shall pay two pence. Only it is provided that in
case the general trade with the Indians now in agitation pro-
ceed, the tax upon beaver mentioned in this and the foregoing
articles shall fail."
The colony levied a tax of £200 to place the fortification
in good repair; Mr. Fenwick was appointed colonial agent,
and on his return to England was to secure an enlargement
of the patent and other advantages for the colony. It has
been estimated that the duties thus levied aggregated £1,600,
which would represent the purchase money paid.
In 1640 Connecticut attempted to extend her limits by
purchasing of the Indians a tract of land west of Springfield,
Massachusetts, called Woronoco (Westfield), on which she
settled, maintaining control of the purchase till 1644, when
the United Colonies of New England decreed that it should
be placed under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. Territory
was also purchased on Long Island, which was eagerly occu-
pied, but no permanent holding was effected for the colony.
163
CHAPTER IX
The New Haven Colony
THE site of what is now the city of New Haven
was known to its Indian occupants as Quinni-
piac (or Quillipiac) ; which name continued
in use until changed, in September 1640, by
the General Court of the English Colony
which settled there in 1638. Several years before the arrival
of the English adventurers, the Dutch had a knowledge of
the territory, known to them as Rodenberg (Red Hill),
doubtless from the predominating color of the East and West
Rocks, still plainly visible to mariners approaching the har-
bor.
The original inhabitants of Quinipeocke (as the name,
which is said to mean "Long Water Place," is spelled in their
deeds) long ago became extinct. During the summer they
dwelt along the shore, and in the winter retired to the protec-
tion of the forests. On account of the heavy tribute im-
posed on them by their enemies, the Pequots and Mohawks,
their numbers gradually decreased, until at the arrival of the
English the tribe contained about forty male adults.
It was in July 1637 that John Davenport, a noted divine
of London, landed at Boston. He was accompanied by
Samuel and Theophilus Eaton (whose father had been Da-
venport's teacher and guide), Edward Hopkins, and about
fifty families from his congregation. This company was
composed of men above the average in ability and position
among them large land owners and London merchants.
Therefore it is not surprising that the people of Massachu-
setts colony were desirous of retaining them as members of
their own body. Many advanatgeous proposals were made
to them to remain; all of which were declined, by reason of
their love of independence, and a desire to establish a sepa-
rate commonwealth, beyond the reach of a general governor
167
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
of the New England Colonies, an officer the Crown had
proposed appointing; this act was looked upon with fear, and
met with opposition from all the plantations.
During the Pequot war the English had become acquainted
with the coast line of Connecticut, and recognized its value
for navigation and commerce, as well as the fruitful appear-
ance of its soil. The attention of the new-comers was thus
attracted towards that section of the country; and in the fall
of 1637, Theophilus Eaton and other members of the party
made a journey to explore the coast and harbors of Connecti-
cut. New London harbor was superb, but the agricultural
traits of the region were not so attractive. It was finally
decided to settle at Quinnipiac, on account of its commercial
and agricultural advantages; and they erected a hut in which
seven of the party spent the winter. The other plantations
of Connecticut having given their consent to the settlement,
the company sailed in the spring of 1638 from Boston, and
were about two weeks on the journey. The first Sunday in
their new homes was devoted to the praise of God; the ser-
vice, conducted by Mr. John Davenport, being held beneath a
spreading oak.
The New Haven settlers formed the wealthiest band that
at this time had ever come to New England; and they
designed to establish a model colony. Soon after their ar-
rival they entered into an agreement with each other, in
which they solemnly bound themselves, "That as in matters
that concern the gathering and ordering of the church, so
also in all public offices which concern civil orders, as the
choice of magistrates and officers, making and repealing laws,
dividing allotments of inheritance, and all things of like na-
ture, they would all of them be ordered by the rules which
the Scriptures held forth to them." This was the prelimi-
168
J^^^^^-V-^rx. U a/l/t^(f(X^.,
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
nary agreement adopted by the people; it was to hold In
force until they became better acquainted with each other's
religious views, sentiments, and moral conduct, and was to
prepare the way for complete union of Church and State as
a theocracy.
The settlers early turned their attention to purchasing
lands from the Indians and making amicable treaties with
them. In November and December of 1638, the Quinnl-
piacs and other tribes transferred all their rights and titles
in large tracts of lands, and received in payment English
cloth and garments, spoons and hatchets, hoes, knives, and
various other kinds of merchandise, and a guarantee of pro-
tection from their enemies. This conveyance included all
the land now occupied by the towns of New Haven, East
Haven, Branford, North Branford, North Haven, Walling-
ford, Cheshire, Hamden, and a part of Woodbridge and
Bethany,
The English planters' first year of residence was marked
by no important historical event. The success of the settle-
ment at Quinnlpiac becoming known in the mother country,
the attention of members of the same religious convictions
In Yorkshire was attracted towards the plantation, and ne-
gotiations were begun for effecting a permanent settlement in
the territory. Mr. Ezekiel Rogers, their pastor, made cer-
tain stipulations with Davenport and Eaton as representa-
tives of the plantation; but on his arrival in Massachusetts
he was lead to believe that this arrangement would not be
fulfilled, and he decided to remain in that colony. A ship-
load of his followers had already reached Qunnipiac; and
on receiving notice of their pastor's determination to remain
In the Massachusetts Colony, some of them refused to re-
169
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
turn and became permanently incorporated in the new com-
munity.
In the mean time Rev. Peter Prudden, who came to Quin-
nipiac with the original settlers, and was waiting for the peo-
ple of his congregation to form a permanent settlement, had
been preaching at Wethersfield. Contemporaneously with
the excitement of the return of the Yorkshire people, the
members of Mr. Prudden's congregation, with part of the
planters of Wethersfield, purchased land from the Indians
and settled the town of Milford. In the formation of this
plantation, Mr. Prudden recognized that he would stand
alone in the eldership of a separate church, which he pre-
ferred to becoming a colleague of Mr. Davenport. The fol-
lowing vear Mr. Henry Whitefield, with a large number of
the members of his congregation, who were of the gentleman
and yeoman class, and had been engaged in agricultural pur-
suits in Kent and Surrey, came to the Quinnipiac settlement.
They bought lands from the Indians and settled the town of
Guilford, erecting for their pastor a stone house, to be used
as a fort in case of an attack; it was probably the first house
of the kind built in New England. Milford and Guilford
were organized on the same plan, principle, and government
as the Quinnipiac plantation.
The opening of the year 1639 found the civil and eccle-
siastical organization of Quinnipiac the same as on the first
day of the landing of the settlers; public property was man-
aged by officers of the joint-stock association, civil govern-
ment acknowledged no authority but God, and the only con-
stitution was that set forth in the Scriptures. Public wor-
ship was regularly held, but no church had been instituted
and no sacraments celebrated. The indecision of the York-
shire settlers, and the agitation caused by the removal of
170
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
the Hereford men to Milford, were important reasons for
this procrastination; as the leading men preferred to stay
their decision rather than form a permanent organization
without such a desirable addition. Another cause was
the difference of opinion as to the preliminary work of laying
the foundation of Church and State. Some of the settlers
had been nonconforming members of the Church of Eng-
land, while others had separated from the national church
before leaving the old country.
But after a residence together of over a year, the planters
of the Quinnipiac settlement assembled in a formal man-
ner and proceeded to lay the foundation of their civil and re-
ligious polity. The business was introduced by Mr. John
Davenport, who preached from the text : "Wisdom hath
builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars."
The Separatists, under the leadership of Samuel Eaton, de-
sired to lay the foundation of the church on the princi-
ple that church membership was not an essential quali-
fication for free burgesses; but Mr. Davenport contended
successfully that the power of choosing magistrates, of mak-
ing and repealing laws, of dividing inheritances, and of de-
ciding differences, should be vested in church members.
Twelve members of the body were selected, who from their
number were to choose seven, the latter to be empowered
to pass on the qualification of members to form a church.
This agreement was signed by one hundred and eleven per-
sons; and Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport, Robert New-
man, Matthew Gilbert, Thomas Fugill, John Punderson, and
Jeremiah Dixon were elected the seven pillars of the church.
This court, consisting of the above-named persons, con-
vened in the following October, and first declared all former
trusts for managing the public affairs of the plantation abro-
171
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
gated. After taking an oath of fidelity, all those who had
been chosen by the seven pillars and members of other ap-
proved churches proceeded to exercise their right of fran-
chise, by electing executive officers of the plantation for the
ensuing year. Theophilus Eaton was chosen Governor; and
he, with four magistrates, a secretary, and a marshal, con-
stituted the board of officers. This was the original gov-
ernment of New Haven, which has been called the "House
of Wisdom." The civil government was vested in the church
which elected the civil officers, and the word of God was
the only rule ordering the affairs of the plantation. The
lands were held in trust by the principal men who purchased
them ; and every planter, after paying his proportion of the
expenses, drew land in ratio with his investment.
Quinnipiac surpassed her sister plantations both in the ar-
rangement of the settlement and the construction of its homes.
It was laid out in nine equal squares, with streets crossing at
right angles and a large centre space for a market. The
houses were large and stately ; conspicuous among them be-
ing Governor Eaton's, built in the shape of the letter E,
and John Davenport's in the form of a cross. The so-
cial and aristocratic distinctions of the old country were pre-
served by these builders of a republican form of government,
as indeed was found necessary by all other colonial towns
sooner or later; in church seating, the most prominent people
were assigned the front pews ; in matters of personal apparel
no certain regulations were enforced, as the plantation was
considered too rich to admit of dress distinctions. Marriages
notices were posted fourteen days in advance, and were
solemnized by a magistrate. To labor was deemed reputable,
and idleness created suspicion. They were punctilious in re-
gard to titles; the term "Esquire" signified one who pos-
172
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
sessed estates, "Mr." Implied gentlemen, to be recorded as
"Master" denoted good birth and education, and "Good-
man" an advanced yeoman of good character and own-
er of a small estate. Military titles were always used,
ranging from Captain to Corporal; and a clergyman
addressed as Mr, Pastor, the term Reverend not being used
until 1670. The rates of wages, price of and profit on mer-
chandise, were regulated by industrial laws. Threepence
profit on the shilling was allowed on importations; a day's
work in summer was ten hours, for which the wage was two
shillings; in winter the time was two hours less, and twenty
pence was paid.
Land was purchased from the Indians west of the New
Haven plantations, and was sold to parties residing in VVeth-
ersfield, which they settled in 1641, under the name of Stam-
ford; agreeing to adopt a form of government similar to
New Haven. Southold on Long Island being under the jur-
isdiction of New Haven, it became necessary to form a gen-
eral government; and this was done in the summer of 1643,
under the name of the Colony of New Haven. The planta-
tion of Guilford joined the colony in September 1643, ^^^
about a month later Milford was admitted. The latter plan-
tation having granted the right of franchise to six members
not in church fellowship, it was obliged to agree that these
six should never be chosen deputies or occupy any position of
public trust, and should not be entitled to vote for magis-
trates, either personally or by proxy ; and in future the plan-
tation agreed to elect only church members as free burgesses.
The formation of this embryo republic, and the framing
of its laws, was conceived by the concurrent wisdom of Gov^-
ernor Eaton, Stephen Goodyear, Francis Newman, William
Leete, Samuel Desborough, and the three pastors, Daven-
173
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
port, Whitefield, and Prudden. These worthy gentlemen,
after amicable consultations, devised a system of government
possessing the requisite qualifications for governing the lar-
gest republics. By this constitution a general assembly or
court of general jurisdiction, consisting of two branches, was
formed for the common Interests of the colony. The Gover-
nor, Deputy-Governor, and three magistrates (ministers be-
ing debarred), all elected at large, were members of the up-
per body; and two deputies from each town, elected Inde-
pendently, constituted the lower house. The concurrence of
these two branches made any public act a law. The civil and
military administration of the law was In the hands of the
Governor and Deputy-Governor. The supreme judiciary
was vested in a Court of Magistracy, consisting of the two
executive officials and three or more magistrates; and to this
legal body the whole colony was amenable. It was a court
of original as well as appellate jurisdiction, founded accord-
ing to the principle and spirit of the laws of England. It had
charge of probating all wills, and settling all intestate estates.
It differed from the general assembly, styled the General
Court, it being executive and judicial in its functions instead
of legislative and governmental. The other colonial officers
were treasurer, secretary, and marshal. The towns were en-
tirely independent In all local matters, their government con-
sisting of four deputies or judges, who sat in their respective
districts and acted on civil matters and lower felonies. These
judges were approved by the General Court who empowered
them, and thus became judiciary officers of the law, invested
with civil authority and legal jurisdiction. There was also
In each town a marshal, and a military company commanded
by a lieutenant who served under the Governor. There were
two important features of this constitution which differed
174
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
from those in most other colonies; the unchangeable law
that only church members could be voters, and the disuse of
juries, — the judges deciding all questions of facts as well as
of law, and inflicting discretionary punishments.
In 1644 Branford, which had been sold to parties from
Wetherslield, became a member of the confederacy. Its pas-
tor was Mr. Abraham Pierson, who had been a resident
of Southampton, Long Island. I'his town placed itself un-
der the jurisdiction of the Colony of Connecticut; and Mr.
Pierson, with a minority of his people, preferring the theo-
cratical constitution of the New Haven Colony, removed to
Branford and united with the settlers from Wethersfield.
The leading citizens of the colony, having been engaged
in commerce in the old country, early turned their attention
to making New Haven a commercial town. Trade was soon
established with Boston; furs and other merchandise were
sent there for transportation to England, and brought in re-
turn many English goods to the colony ; to New Netherlands
their vessels likewise carried tobacco from Virginia ; the
West Indies gave sugar, molasses, and rum, in exchange for
wheat, biscuits, beef, pork, hides, and furs. This spirit of
commerce led to a desire to locate colonies, and in 1 640-1
purchases were made by the colonists of plantations along
Delaware Bay, which the General Court voted to settle;
these settlements however were opposed by the Dutch and
the Swedes, who claimed the territory. The Swedes destroyed
the English trading-houses, and took a number of English
planters prisoners. Another unsuccessful attempt was made
in 165 I ; and three years later it was again agitated, and sev-
eral meetings were held to promote emigration to the dis-
puted territory. Captain John Mason was invited by the
New Haven Colony to become the leader of a permanent set-
175
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
dement; but though he favored the proposition, the General
Court of Connecticut would not consent to his acceptance.
This appears to have frustrated the design, as the project
was not put into execution.
A commercial enterprise undertaken by the colonists, to
compensate them for their unsuccessful scheme of coloniza-
tion, was the building of a ship of one hundred and fifty tons
burden. She was laden with furs and corn, which consti-
tuted the greater part of their merchandise, and with sev-
enty souls on board set sail for England. The voyage was
begun in January, and the ship was obliged to be cut
through the ice for three miles; Mr. Davenport invoked a
prayer for a successful journey, in which he said, "Lord, if it
be Thy pleasure to bury these our friends, in the bottom of
the sea, they are thine, — save them!" Nothing more re-
mains to be said, save that the vessel never reached her des-
tination. Some two years and a half later, in a mirage, or
by prophetic vision, a ship bearing a resemblance to the lost
one was seen approaching the harbor of New Haven, but be-
fore reaching the shore vanished in a cloud of smoke.
During his term of office as Lord Protector of England,
Cromwell at different times became desirous for the settlers
of New Haven to colonize various parts of the world; he
extended them special invitation to settle in Ireland and Ja-
maica, holding out the inducement that their so doing would
tend to the destruction of the "Man of Sin." These propo-
sitions were the occasion of long and serious debates by the
General Court, in which they resolved that while they ac-
knowledged the love, care, and respect of the Lord Protector,
yet, for divers reasons, they concluded that God did not call
upon them to make any change at present.
The first Governor and Deputy Governor of the colony
176
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
were Theophilus Eaton and Stephen Goodyear, who were
annually re-elected until 1657, in which year Governor
Eaton died at New Haven ; the death of Deputy Governor
Goodyear occurred the following year, while he was on a
visit to London. At the spring election held in 1658, Fran-
cis Newman was chosen Governor and William Leete Depu-
ty Governor. Both these gentlemen had served as magis-
trates since the establishment of the colony. The death of
Governor Newman occurring in 1660, at the next election
William Leete and Matthew Gilbert were elected to the
highest offices in the gift of the people. At the same time
five magistrates were chosen instead of three. The code of
laws of the colony was printed and distributed to the free-
men in 1656. New Haven continued to prosper, and the af-
fairs of the mother country in no way interfered with the
progress or serenity of the colony.
The death of Cromwell and the restoration of Charles IL
had a tendency to unsettle the public affairs of New England,
which was increased by the arrival at Boston of Generals
Whalley and Gofife, regicide judges of Charles L Of the
one hundred and thirty judges originally appointed by the
House of Parliament, seventy-four sat, and sixty-seven of
these were present at the session that unanimously passed the
death sentence. Of the fifty-nine signing the warrant of ex-
ecution, twenty-four were dead when Charles IL came to the
throne; of the remainder, some were pardoned, others exe-
cuted, and sixteen fled the country; three of these last, Ma-
jor-General Edward Whalley, Major-General William
Goffe, and Colonel John Dixwell, secreted themselves in
New England until their death.
Edward Whalley, who was a cousin of the Lord Pro-
tector, had been brought up as a merchant; at the time of the
177
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
contest between Charles I. and Parliament, being then in
middle age, his religious opinions early caused him to take
arms against the King. He distinguished himself at the bat-
tles of Naseby and Banbury. The city of Worcester surren-
dered to him, he commanded the foot soldiers at the battle of
Dunbar, and afterwards was Commissary-General of Scot-
land. When Cromwell became Lord Protector, he was
wholly Intrusted with the government of several counties.
William Goffe, the son of a Puritan divine, and son-in-law of
General Whalley, had been apprenticed to trade; but upon
the opening of the Parliamentary War, joined the army, and
was subsequently appointed General. General Goffe ren-
dered Cromwell important services, by which he gained more
fame than by his military record.
The regicide judges arrived at Boston In the summer of
1660, and made no attempt to conceal their identity; they
presented themselves to Governor Endicott, who was at
that time in the gubernatorial chair of the colony. They
took up their residence at Cambridge, appeared at public
meetings and gatherings, and by their devout and serious
appearance commanded universal respect. The vessel on
which they sailed left England before Charles IL was pro-
claimed King; but they were among those seven judges
who by the "Act of Indemnity" were refused pardon. The
government officials of Massachusetts on receipt of this news
became alarmed, and the governor summoned his Court of
Assistants to consult upon the advisability of securing their
persons. This official act was interpreted as being dangerous
to their liberty; and deeming Cambridge unsafe, they left
that town in the latter part of February, and arrived in
New Haven March 7, 1661. The day following, a warrant
for their arrest was Issued by Governor Endicott, but they
178
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
were beyond his jurisdiction. The officials of New Haven
Colony were heartily in sympathy with them. Whalley
and Goffe therefore rested in fancied security for about two
weeks; then, learning of the King's proclamation, they fled
to Milford; but the same night returned secretly to New
Haven, and according to tradition, for more than a month
were concealed in the home of Mr. John Davenport.
Finally after hiding in various places, a cave was prepared
in the side of a hill named by them "Providence Hill," but
which is known today as West Rock. This they are said to
have made their home for over six months, during which time
the colony was scoured by the King's messengers with war-
rants for their arrest, offering large rewards for any infor-
mation concerning them. The officials and people of New
Haven, owing to their great lov^e for independence and their
hatred for the royal government, were loyal to their trust,
and did everything in their power to harass the King's of-
ficers in their attempt to capture the Regicides, Fearing that
they were placing their friends In jeopardy, Whalley and
Goffe offered to surrender, to relieve the country and keep
from further trouble those who had befriended them; but
this offer was strongly opposed by Governor Leete and the
citizens of New Haven. The search was finally abandoned;
and leaving their place of concealment they became resi-
dents of Milford, where for two years they confined them-
selves strictly to their dwelling-place. Growing confident
and deeming themselves safe from further prosecution, they
made their Identity known to several persons, and enjoyed
more liberties; but on the arrival of the King's Commission-
ers at Boston in 1664, they retired to their former place of
concealment. Thence after ten days they removed to Had-
ley, Massachusetts, where they spent the remainder of their
179
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
lives in cautious obscurity ; supported by remittances received
from relatives in England, and donations from sympathetic
friends in this country. During their residence at Hadlev
they were joined by Colonel John Dixwell, another Reg-
icide who had escaped from England and been secreted
in the Colonies. After remaining at Hadley for some time,
he removed to New Haven, where he married and lived un-
der the name of James David; his identity, though not pro-
fessed, was doubtless known to his friends.
New Haven Colony was not only agitated by the presence
of the Regicides, but she had also to contend with internal
dissensions; some of her settlers, desirous of enjoying more
privileges, demanded that other than church members should
have the right of franchise. Numerous complaints had been
received by the General Court that the inhabitants of Green-
wich (which was a part of Stamford) were addicted to
drunkenness, and were incapable of performing the duties
of local government, thereby causing damage to themselves
and adjoining towns. They were disturbers of the public
peace, and furnished refuge for unruly children and guilty
servants; some of them unlawfully joined people in wed-
lock, and they were charged with other grave misdemean-
ors. After an investigation of the charges, it was ordered
that the inhabitants submit to the jurisdiction of the court,
which they resisted in open revolt; refusing to subject them-
selves to the colony unless compelled to do so by the Eng-
lish Parliament. The ringleaders of the insurrection were
arrested, and their estates and persons surrendered to the gov-
ernment.
180
CHAPTER X
The United Colonies of New England
THE object of the confederation of the New
England colonies was to render their power
more effective by consolidation, and also to
unite sympathizing associates. Previous to
this union, the young and enterprising col-
onies of Connecticut and New Haven had attracted from
Plymouth and Massachusetts some of their most active,
progressive, and honored members. Their wise and prudent
counsels had been missed from their transitory home In the
New World, and by a concord they would again engage
their minds and energies for the benefit of the English-speak-
ing inhabitants of New England. By a community of inter-
ests, the church could receive more assistance and encourage-
ment, and religious precepts would become more firmly es-
tablished and better guided.
At this time the four colonies consisted of forty-nine towns,
thirty of which were located in Massachusetts and eight in
Plymouth; Connecticut had six, including the independent
town of Saybrook, and New Haven five. The population
aggregated upward of 23,000; Massachusetts claiming 15,-
000; Connecticut 3,000; Plymouth 3,000, and New Haven
2,500. In no colony was there universal suffrage. The vot-
ing power of Massachusetts was lodged in a minority of her
male population, and in 1640 the number reached only 1,708.
In democratic Connecticut and Pilgrim Plymouth, franchise
was extended to those freemen who were vouched for by
those that enjoyed the privilege. In the Puritan colonies of
Massachusetts and New Haven, none but church members
were eligible as candidates for these rights; and though
in the other colonies this was not absolutely essential, still
it was the strongest recommendation that the applicant could
present.
183
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND Si ATE
The status of the colonies was, that Connecticut and New
Haven were without any charter, deriving their titles from
the Indians and from occupancy of the lands, their govern-
ment from voluntary agreement. Plymouth acquired her
rights to her lands from a grant Issued by a company In
England, which conferred no jurisdiction. Massachusetts
also received her titles from an English company; but she
had no authority to execute treaties of peace, declare war,
or organize leagues, having only the right to defend herself
by force of arms when her territory was invaded.
This colonial federation was agitated as early as 1638.
Many of the settlers during their residence in the Low Coun-
tries having witnessed the strength given by union, the con-
stitution of Netherlands was accepted as a model on which
to build their own articles of confederation. This alliance
had been discussed In the General Courts, and had been
pressed with great earnestness in Connecticut, which for sev-
eral years had appointed delegates to visit Massachusetts to
urge the adoption of measures forwarding this project,
deemed of vital Importance to the weaker colonies. Massa-
chusetts, on account of her large population, representing as
she did almost three-fifths of the aggregate, and realizing that
in a formation of a league she would only be entitled to equal
representation with her sister colonies, evinced a spirit of
indifference. There were other reasons why she was opposed
to a union: she was in no danger of foreign Invasion; she
demanded a part of the Pequot country by right of conquest,
and also jurisdiction over Springfield and Westfield, towns
which Connecticut claimed were under her legal authority.
Massachusetts, knowing that In a confederacy these claims
would have to be adjudicated by higher tribunal of law,
was dilatory in acquiescing In Connecticut's request, thinking
184
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
that by such a course she would force her weaker sister
to admit the disputed claims. Connecticut, though weak
In numbers, was strong In maintaining her rights; until
difficulties with the Indians, and the encroachments of her
Dutch neighbors In 1641 and 1642, led her General Court
In the latter year to refer the matter to a committee. John
Haynes and Edward Hopkins were appointed delegates to
meet at Boston, to confer with John Winthrop, Thomas
Dudley, Simon Bradstreet, Captain Edward Gibbons, Wil-
liam Tyng, and William Hawthorne, who had been desig-
nated by the Massachusetts General Court then in session, as
representatives to attend a conference to discuss the feasi-
bility of forming a confederation; delegates from Plymouth
and New Haven Colonies were also present. The unsettled
state of affairs in the mother country, the troubles of Charles
I. with his parliament, and the prospect of a civil war in Eng-
land, must have influenced the authorities of Massachusetts
to look with more favor on the contemplated union.
It was on May 6, 1643, ^^^^ ^^e delegates of the four col-
onies assembled at Boston. Massachusetts was represented
by John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley, Plymouth by Ed-
ward Winslow and William Collier, Connecticut by Edward
Hopkins and John Haynes, and New Haven by Theophllus
Eaton and Thomas Gregson. These delegates represented
all the Independent colonies of New England, except Rhode
Island, which was not Invited to send representatives, being
considered by her neighbors as an Intruder, and also as an
Alsatia for all the disorderly elements of New England.
Roger Williams, the founder of the colony, was an extreme
Separatist, and had made himself obnoxious to the civil and
clerical authorities of Massachusetts by ideas and deliver-
ances Incompatible with their system, which had caused his
185
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
exile from that jurisdiction. The form of government
adopted by the Rhode Island Colony was purely democratic
— ov'Crmuch so, for Williams himself had to curtail it and
establish a property qualification a few years later; and it
allowed no interference with the rights of conscience. Be-
sides, all the Narragansett territory was claimed by Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut; so that on the formation of the
confederacy, Rhode Island's application for admission was re-
fused unless she would acknowledge allegiance to the Col-
ony of Plymouth. This Rhode Island refused, and applied
to the mother country for a charter, which was granted in
1644; in spite of this, however, she bore her share in the
defence of the New England provinces.
The first American Congress expressed in their preamble,
that they recognized they were called to the New World for
the same end and aim — the advancement of the Kingdom of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and the enjoyment of the liberty of
the Gospel in purity and peace; that they were further sep-
arated than first intended, and were not able to communicate
in one government and jurisdiction. They were surrounded
by foreign nations, who had insulted and outraged the sev-
eral English plantations. All this might prove of disadvant-
age to their prosperity. England was in an unsettled condi-
tion, and her affairs in a state of chaos. For these and va-
rious other causes it was deemed expedient, as they were of
the same nation and religion, that they create for mutual pro-
tection a league for their own safety and welfare. After
several meetings, twelve articles of an agreement were rati-
fied and signed by delegates of Massachusetts, Connecticut,
and New Haven, who had received from their respective
General Courts full powers to act. The Plymouth delegates
were granted permission to confer with their General Court
186
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
for instructions, before subscribing to the articles of agree-
ment.
The articles of confederation stated that they were to be
called the "United Colonies of New England," and the body
was to consist of two Commissioners from each colony. The
first Thursday in September was designated as the legal day
of the annual meetings, the first of which was to be held at
Boston, the second at Hartford, the third at New Haven,
and the fourth at New Plymouth, which order was to be
repeated. Any measure to become a law required the vote
of six Commissioners, except in case of emergency, when
upon the summons of the magistrates of any jurisdiction, war
could be declared by the vote of four Commissioners. If any
measure received a majority of the votes and it was less than
six, it was to be referred to the General Court of each colony,
to become binding if unanimously ratified. The sovereign
rights of each colony suffered no interference, and the matter
of taxation was left to each separately. The colonies
agreed not to form a union with each other, and that no other
colony was to be received into the confederacy without the
consent of the whole. They were to unite in case of war; and
if any one of the colonies was invaded, the league was to fur-
nish soldiers to repel the enemy. The law of extradition was
here first exemplified in the case of runaway servants and
criminals; on the production of a certificate, properly signed
by the judicial authorities, the magistrates of any colony
were required to issue warrants and deliver the accused into
the hands of the officials of the colony where the crime had
been committed. In their articles of agreement the delegates
recognized no terrestrial authority, it being the first assump-
tion in America of State Sovereignty.
The duties of the Congress were to consider and recom-
187
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
mend measures for the public good to be acted upon by the
different colonies. It possessed no executive power nor su-
preme legislative authority; but Indian affairs and foreign
relations were especially consigned to it. The judgments of
the courts of law and the probate of wills in each colony were
to have full faith and credit in all others; extra sessions of
the Congress could be called at any time.
At the first regular meeting of the Commissioners held at
Boston in September 1643, Connecticut yielded the place of
one of her delegates to George Fenwick, who had been an
early advocate of the union of the colonies; he succeeded
John Haynes, and also represented his fellow patentees under
the Warwick patent. At this meeting the representatives from
Plymouth Colony presented an order from their General
Court, approving of the articles of confederation. It was
voted that every male between the age of sixteen and sixty
years was to serve in the militia of his colony; a ratio for
raising troops was established on the basis of one hundred
and fifty from Massachusetts, thirty from Connecticut,
thirty from Plymouth, and twenty-five from New Haven.
The expense of conducting an offensive or defensive
warfare, in which was involved the interests of the whole or
any one of the allied powers, was to be borne in the same
proportion as the levy made for troops. Each man of the
requisite age was to provide himself with a gun and a sword,
together with one pound of powder and four pounds of
shot, and was to be inspected four times a year. Each juris-
diction was to establish a public arsenal, to contain one hun-
dred pounds of powder and four times as much shot. The
holding of public trainings six times a year in each colony
was recommended. The emigration schemes of the New
Haven Colony, and the Indian troubles engaged the at-
188
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
tention of the body; and the President was authorized to
correspond with the Dutch and Swede authorities, demanding
redress for outrages committed upon English settlers.
The second meeting was held at Hartford in September
1644, and Edward Hopkins was elected President. The
Massachusetts representatives claimed the right of her Com-
missioners to sign all the acts of the Congress after the pre-
siding officer, stating that they expressed the wishes of their
General Court. This claim for precedence was demurred
to by the Commissioners, who contended that no such privi-
leges had been granted at the former meeting, but it was con-
ceded as an act of courtesy. They wished to impress upon
the minds of the gentlemen from Massachusetts that
they were above the dictations of any General Court, yet
owing to their great respect for that Commonwealth they
would establish an order to be followed in signing the acts
and laws of the confederation : Massachusetts first, Plymouth
second, Connecticut third, and New Haven fourth. The
claim of Massachusetts to the Pequot country and to West-
field was urged by her representatives, and it was decreed that
the latter should be placed under the jurisdiction of Massa-
chusetts until it was proved to which colony the plantation
belonged. The colonists were prohibited from selling am-
munition to the French, Dutch, or Indians. A compulsory
tax for the support of ministers was advocated; and where
a citizen did not contribute voluntarily he was to be rated by
the authorities, and on his refusal to pay the claim, this was
to be collected by law. The United Colonies of New Eng-
land, in recommending the repairs of the road from Massa-
chusetts Bay to Connecticut, took the first action looking
to the establishment of American national highways.
Governor Winthrop, becoming alarmed at the hostile ac-
189
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
tions of the Indians, called a special session of the United
Colonies of New England, June 28, 1645. There had been
no change in the Commissioners from the Connecticut colonies
since the formation of the confederation. At this session Ste-
phen Goodyear was sent from New Hav^en Colony in place of
Thomas Gregson; the latter had set sail for England the
previous winter to procure a patent for the Colony, on that
ill-fated ship commissioned by the New Haven Colony of
which no tidings were ever received. The special business
for which the Congress was convened was legislated upon,
and has been fully dealt with in a preceding chapter in this
work.
The annual meeting of 1646 was held at New Haven, and
elected Theophilus Eaton President. There was a change in
the Connecticut commissioners, caused by the return of
George Fenwick to England; and the vacancy was filled by
the election of John Haynes, one of the original delegates.
The transgressions of the Dutch and the Indians were the
important topics of the meeting. Massachusetts again as-
serted her claims to disputed territories; she still pressed
her rights to the Pequot country and demanded jurisdiction
over New London, stating that by the treaty of 1638 the
Pequot River was established as a boundary line. Connecti-
cut urged in defense of her rights for jurisdiction, that at
the time of making the treaty of 1638, Fenwick, the agent
of the original patentees, was not present, and therefore did
not sanction the boundary line agreed upon; that since that
time she had acquired a title to the lands in question by a
deed of conveyance from Uncas, and furthermore the settle-
ment was on the west bank of the river. The claims of Mas-
sachusetts to the territory were ignored by the Commissioners
until she could produce better titles of ownership; and the
190
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
settlement was placed under the jurisdiction of Connecticut.
In the revenue raised for the maintenance of the acts of the
United Colonies of New England, which was based on the
population of the different colonies, it was found that Con-
necticut and New Haven had furnished more than their pro-
portion; and the colonies of Massachusetts and Plymouth
being delinquent, it was ordered that Massachusetts should
pay Connecticut the sum of £136-95-1 id and New Haven
.fyi-Ss-yd, and Plymouth was to pay New Haven £25-45.
The Commissioners established the following weekly pay for
military services : a soldier was to receive six shillings, a cor-
poral eight, a sergeant ten, an ensign fifteen, a lieutenant
twenty, and a captain thirty.
Religious questions cannot be ignored in any New Eng-
land proceedings. The Commissioners ordered that as the
confederacy had been formed for the purpose of preserving
the truth and liberties of the Gospel, baptism should be re-
stricted to members and their posterity, and all opposition to
the established form of worship should be suppressed. But
the Commissioners from Plymouth, whose people and their
followers had suffered for nearly a century from the disciples
of an Established Church, and who had divorced Church and
State until their ministers were not prominent in civil affairs,
would not concur in the resolution until they had submitted
it to their General Court for approval.
An extra session of the United Colonies of New England
was called to meet at Boston in July 1647, to take action
against the Narragansetts for violating their treaty; at
which Captain John Mason was one of the Commissioners
from Connecticut in place of John Haynes. It was voted
that the regular meeting day of the convention should be
abandoned; that while sessions must be held annually, it was
191
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
left to the Congress to designate the time for holding ses-
sions; and six Commissioners were to constitute a quorum
for the transaction of business.
Connecticut had levied a duty of twopence on each bushel
of corn, and twenty shillings on each hogshead of beaver
skins, that were exported down the Connecticut River, for the
maintenance of the fort at Saybrook. Springfield had re-
fused to pay the import, and she brought it before the Com-
missioners for adjustment. A committee appointed at a pre-
ceding session had reported against Connecticut's claim; but,
her case being ably defended by one of her Commissioners,
Edward Hopkins, it was decided by the concurrent vote of
the representatives from New Haven and Plymouth, that she
had a legal right to collect this revenue.
The majority of the settlers of New London, represented
by John Winthrop, Jr., stated that they were dissatisfied with
the government of Connecticut, and wished to be placed un-
der the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. The Commissioners
decided that as Connecticut had purchased the original pat-
ent to the territory, the desire of the settlers of New Lon-
don could not be granted. Winthrop also complained of
Uncas' depredations among the Indians, and claimed a large
tract of land that had been deeded and presented to him by
the Indians before the Pequot war. Winthrop produced no
written instrument to substantiate his claim, but submitted
the testimony of Indians. Connecticut ably defended her
rights; and after deliberation, the Commissioners decided
that they had no grounds or power to determine the title in
question.
At the session held at New Plymouth in August 1648,
Connecticut was represented by Edward Hopkins and Roger
Ludlow, and New Haven by Theophilus Eaton and John
192
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Astwood. The outrages perpetrated by the Dutch, and
troubles with the Indians, were the important topics of the
session. Amendments to the original articles of confedera-
tion were submitted by the Commissioners from Massachu-
setts, who were authorized by their General Court. The
most important of these were, that in the event of a resolution
not receiving the vote of six Commissioners, it could be refer-
red to the General Courts, and if adopted by three of these
bodies, it was to become a law. Triennial sessions of the
United Colonies of New England were advocated. An
amendment was offered so that the articles pertaining to
unity in case of war were not binding, if pestilence or famine
should devastate any one of the colonies. The equal repre-
sentation which constituted the Congress was not satisfactory
to iMassachusetts; she claimed that the fact that her size and
importance, and the large excess of her contributions to the
general fund over those of the other members of the confed-
eration, entitled her to three representatives; she did how-
ever make the proviso, that any other colony willing to sus-
tain an equal amount of the expenses should be entitled to the
same number of Commissioners. Springfield again appeared
as an objector to the payment of the impost; but the Com-
missioners decided that Connecticut had a legal as well as
a moral right to collect the tax.
In July 1649 the United Colonies of New England met at
Boston. The Commissioners from the Connecticut colonies
were the same as at the last session, with the exception of
Thomas Welles in the place of Roger Ludlow. The selling
of ammunition by the Dutch and French to the Indians was
condemned, and the inhabitants of the colonies were empow-
ered to confiscate the merchandise and arrest the offenders.
Springfield refused to obey the mandates of the Commlsslon-
193
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ers, and had appealed to the General Court of Massachusetts
for redress. The legislature had denied the right of Connec-
ticut to impose the tax, as Springfield had no representation
in her General Court; and her Commissioners demanded the
production of the Warwick patent to establish the boundary
lines between the two jurisdictions. In retaliation, Massa-
chusetts had imposed a tax on all imports from her sister
colonies, and had decreed that if the customs were not paid
the merchandise was to be forfeited. This was an act of
injustice towards New Haven and Plymouth colonies, whose
representatives had acted in conformity with the articles of
agreement of the league. The Commissioners from Con-
necticut equivocated, knowing that the patent could not be
produced; and suggested that the matter should be referred
to the General Court of Massachusetts, as their action in es-
tablishing an importation duty was not in harmony with the
love expressed, and the tenor of the articles of confederation.
Connecticut decided to abandon the fort at Saybrook and dis-
continue the collection of the dues; which placated Massa-
chusetts, and her legislature in 1650 repealed the act taxing
imported merchandise.
At the meeting held at Hartford in September 1650, Ed-
ward Hopkins was elected President. In the Connecticut
delegation, John Haynes succeeded Thomas Welles; and
there was also a change in the New Haven representatives,
Stephen Goodyear having been chosen in place of John Ast-
wood. The session was made memorable by the visit of
Governor Peter Stuyvesant and troubles with the Narragan-
setts. Permission was given to Connecticut to take East-
hampton, Long Island, under her jurisdiction. In Septem-
ber of the following year the Congress convened at New
Haven ; Theophilus Eaton was chosen President, and Roger
194
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Ludlow again took the seat made vacant by the retirement
of John Haynes. 7 he trouble with the Dutch formed the
most important business before the body. The Commis-
sioners were visited by ambassadors from the French gover-
nor of Canada, to induce them to declare war against the
Five Nations; they proposed that if the colonies would be-
come their allies, they would encourage the establishment of
free trade between the French and English provinces. The
Commissioners with becoming courtesy declined to add to
their present troubles the horrors of a new warfare.
At a meeting held at New Plymouth, in September 1652,
there was no quorum present; and a special session met at
Boston in the following March. The representatives from
Connecticut were Roger Ludlow and Captain John Cullick,
and New Haven was represented by Theophilus Eaton and
John Astwood. The Dutch and Indian War was the im-
portant topic, and precautionary measures were adopted to
protect the colonies.
At the meeting at Boston in Sepetmber of the same year,
the three smaller jurisdictions voted in favor of declaring
war against the Dutch. The Massachusetts Commissioners
were in opposition to the adopted measure, claiming that the
articles of confederation discriminated between offensive and
defensive warfare, and that they could not satisfy their
consciences that God called for the war and the attendant
blood of their constituents. The other Commissioners could
not deny the ethics of Massachusetts, that there was no higher
appeal than God's authority; but they were immovable in
their determination to declare war. The action taken by the
Massachusetts representatives led to a serious debate, in
which was threatened the destruction of the confederacy ; but
harmony wa§ again restored by her Commissioners receding
195
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
from their position, being authorized to this action by decrees
of her General Court.
The sessions of the United Colonies of New England for
the next decade were held in the month of September of
each year, and the regular routine of business was transacted.
In 1654 Hartford was the place of meeting, and Theophilus
Eaton was chosen President; he and Francis Newman were
the New Haven delegates, while Major John Mason and
John Webster represented Connecticut. The following year
the session was held at New Haven, and Theophilus Eaton
was again elected President. There w'ere changes in the dele-
gations from the Connecticut colonies. Captain John CuUick
w^as appointed in place of John Webster, and William Leete
succeeded Francis Newman. New Plymouth was the meet-
ing place in 1656, and Boston in 1657; and the only change
in representation of the Connecticut colonies was, that John
Talcott was elected to succeed Captain John Cullick. At
the session held at Boston in 1658, the Connecticut com-
missioners were John Winthrop and John Talcott, and Fran-
cis Newman was elected from New Haven to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Governor Eaton, who had been a
member since the organization of the Congress.
At the Hartford meeting held the following year, John
Winthrop was elected President; and the only change in the
Connecticut delegation was that Thomas Welles was elected
in place of John Talcott. Massachusetts, at the last two ses-
sions of the New England Congress, had presented her claim
to the Pequot country, which was strongly combated by the
Connecticut representatives. In 1660 at New Haven, Fran-
cis Newman was elected President; and the vacancy in Con-
necticut's delegation caused by the death of Thomas Welles
was filled bv the election of Matthew Allin.
196
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
In the meeting of 1661, convened at New Plymouth, Con-
necticut was represented by Major John Mason and Samuel
Willis, and New Haven by William Leete and Benjamin
Fenn. 1 he sessions of 1662 and 1663 were held at Boston,
and the only changes in the delegations from the Connecticut
colonies were in the former the substitution of John Talcott
for Major John Mason, and in the latter of John Winthrop
for Samuel Willis. The convention of 1663 was enlivened
by business pertaining to Connecticut, and arguments were
heard for and against the union of her colonies. Winthrop's
earnest oratory in favor of the consolidation was combated
by the courtly and cautious debate of William Leete, and the
blunt and bold objections of Benjamin Fenn. Massachusetts
lent her aid to the New Haven representatives, which could
result only in the Congress deciding that New Haven should
still continue her distinct colonial existence; perhaps jealousy
and sense of equity were not wholly disassociated. Governor
Stuyvesant also appeared before the body as a complainant
against the grasping ambition of Connecticut. She had at-
tempted to extend her jurisdiction over Westchester and ad-
joining towns, and the Dutch governor demanded satisfac-
tion for encroachments on his territory. This matter at the
request of the Commissioners from Connecticut was referred
to the next meeting of the Congress.
In pressing her demands to the Pequot country, the repre-
sentatives from Massachusetts asserted that her General
Court had been appealed to by the inhabitants of the disputed
territory for protection ; but the Commissioners again de-
cided that she had no right of action. This seems to have
settled forever Massachusetts' attempt to hold a territory to
which she could not plead the rights either of purchase, con-
quest, or settlement.
197
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
The last annual meeting of the New England Congress
was held at Hartford in 1664. The Commissioners from
Connecticut were Matthew Allin and Samuel Willis, and
from New Haven William Leete and William Jones; they
were the last from New Haven Colony, about to be ab-
sorbed in Connecticut, and the latter protested against their
admission. The position taken by Connecticut in the union
of the colonies, and her persistency in pressing her claims
against the wishes of the prominent men of the New Haven
Colony, backed by the authority of the King, had cre-
ated in Massachusetts a feeling of indifference for the con-
federation of the New England Colonies. Connecticut her-
self realized that in a triplicate agreement, her Commission-
ers would hold only one-third of the power; and having by
her Royal Charter at last received a substantial form of
government indorsed by the King, she hesitated for fear that
in the formation of an allied league she might endanger the
royal favor, which she had obtained at such trouble and ex-
pense. The surrender of New Amsterdam to the Duke of
York had relieved Connecticut of her Dutch neighbors, and
the Indians within her borders were friendly, preventing the
danger of a hostile outbreak. The Massachusetts colonies
had lost their Indian friend, the chieftain Massasoit, but
as yet the Indians within her territory were not very turbu-
lent. The colonies had all acknowledged the authority of
Charles II.; and therefore any union against the mother
country was deemed unnecessary.
Still there was a kindly feeling existing among the colon-
ies, a mutual confidence and kinship that encouraged a con-
federation. For the purpose of considering the advisability
of a reorganization of the Congress, a meeting was called at
Hartford on September 5, 1667. The Connecticut repre-
198
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
sentatives were William Teete (formerly of New Haven)
and Samuel Willis; the former was elected to preside over
the body. The Plymouth Commissioners brought authority
from their General Court to act only on Indian affairs, and to
submit to them for final decision all matters pertaining to a re-
establishment of the confederacy. They were not zealous for
a renewal of the league, as they had been strongly opposed
to Connecticut's actions against New Haven, and being the
smallest jurisdiction in population, they feared that their in-
terests would suffer at the hands of their sister colonies. The
Plymouth Commissioners urged that all measures and acts
should receive a unanimous vote, for if they were decided
by a majority there was danger of their being a hopeless
minority. The meeting adjourned with no formal steps be-
ing taken to form an alliance.
The next convention was held at Boston in June 1670. The
representatives from Connecticut were Samuel Willis and
John Talcott. New articles of confederation were adopted,
not differing materially from the old covenant; but the ar-
ticle on declaring offensive warfare, which had been such a
stumbling block In the old organization, was modified, the
power being delegated to the several General Courts. The
question of the apportionment of the military forces and sup-
plies was the subject of a fierce debate. Connecticut insisted
on the adoption of the ancient quota, to which Massachusetts
objected, and the matter was left in abeyance. Triennial
meetings were to be held ; one In every five sessions at New
Plymouth, the other four to be divided equally between
Boston and Hartford. WHUe the Commissioners from Con-
necticut and Plymouth accepted the articles without demur-
ring, the representatives Irom Massachusetts were not ex-
actly satisfied. It was nearly two years before the quota to
199
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
be furnished by each colony in case of war was decided. A
committee from Connecticut consisting of John Allyn and
Wait Winthrop met Simon Bradstreet and Thomas Dan-
forth on behalf of Massachusetts, at Boston ; and an agree-
ment was made for fifteen years. Troops and money were to
be contributed by the several jurisdictions in the following
ratio: Massachusetts one hundred men, Connecticut sixty,
and Plymouth forty.
At a meeting held at New Plymouth in September 1672,
John Winthrop and John Richards represented Connecticut.
A special session of the New England Congress was called
at Hartford in August 1673 ; the Connecticut representatives
were William Leete and John Talcott, and the former was
chosen president. The business before the convention was
the occupancy of New York by the Dutch. A communica-
tion was addressed to the Dutch commanders asking their
future designs, but this did not receive a satisfactory answer.
A resolution was passed declaring that any damage done to
one of the colonies should be considered as an injury to the
confederacy. It was suggested that active measures should
be taken to secure ammunition, men, and means of defense.
It Vr-as plain to see that the original Congress of the four
colonies had a substitute, but not a successor.
The United Colonies of New England held at Boston a
continuous session of ten weeks from Sept. 9 to Nov. 19,
1675. The Connecticut delegation were John and Wait
Winthrop. The directing and management of the cam-
paign of King Philip's War was the important business of the
session. An army of 1,000 men was ordered to be enlisted,
of which Massachusetts was to furnish 527, Connecticut 315,
and Plymouth 1^8. The Connecticut troops were to rendez-
vous at Norvv'ich, Stonington, and New London. At a spe-
200
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
cial session held in the spring of 1676, at Boston, occurred
the death of John Winthrop, who was struck down while at-
tending to those civil duties in the performance of which he
had spent the greater part of his life.
There were two sessions in 1678: one in May at New
Plymouth, and the other at Boston in September. The Con-
necticut Commissioners were William Leete and Captain
John Allyn. At these and the subsequent sessions of the
New England Congress, there was transacted no important
business pertaining to Connecticut affairs. She joined with
her sister colonies in extending her congratulations to Sir
Edmund Andros on his appointment as Royal Governor to
the Colony of New York; which was courteously responded
to by his Excellency. At a session held at Boston in August
1679, Connecticut was represented by Captain John Allyn
and James Richards; at the meeting in September 1681, the
latter was succeeded by Robert Treat. The last meeting of
the New England Congress was held at Hartford in Septem-
ber 1684, and Robert Treat was elected as presiding officer.
Thus adjourned sine die the first American Congress.
Nearly a century was to roll away before another American
confederation was to make a permanent and vitalized organ-
ization of all the great English societies on the continent.
In the formation of the first confederacy it was not deemed
necessary to obtain the ratification of the King, but its suc-
cessor was a revolt against the King. The two Congresses
were both created for mutual protection and to combine their
strength to battle against common foes. The younger, how-
ever, did not follow the doctrines of the elder, but separated
Church from State as ultimately all societies will do.
201
CHAPTER XI
Witchcraft in Connecticut
THA r there are materials for such a chapter is
simply restating the fact that the settlers were
seventeenth-century English. That the mate-
rials are so scanty, relative to those for Eng-
land at the same period, evinces that they
were much superior to the mass of English. That their being
products of their time, with the same stock of information and
beliefs and the same practical inferences from both, should be
matter of denunciation or Pharisaical sarcasm, is discreditable
to human rationality. With equal justice might we revile the
society of the fourteenth century for eating with their fingers
or believing in the divinity of the Holy Roman Empire. All
that could be asked, and more than could be hoped, would be
superior readiness to make social outcome the test of religious
theory ; and such they had. They would be entitled to lenient
judgment had they been something less ready in place of
more; for while all Christians accepted the Bible as it stood,
their own society was built up on the Bible — on its fervent ac-
ceptance, its studious interpretation, its upholding against tra-
dition or custom or authority, the attempt to bring their social
life into general accordance with its precepts. As teaching
and as literature it filled their lives; for many years they lit-
erally had nothing else. It is creditable to their common-
sense that they fell into so little barbarity or absurdity in at-
tempting to apply obsolete systems of thought and practice
to their own lives.
Regarding their action, it is to be observed that as in other
communities, the extirpation of witchcraft confined itself
mainly to local nuisances or suspects, Ishmaelites or indepen-
dent thinkers, — those out of favor with the respectability or
inertia of the community, in short : when members of the
latter were involved, though the theory was not for the mo-
205
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ment discredited, the evidence began to be scrutinized with
great care, and the canons made so severe that practical re-
sults failed. This must never be forgotten in discussing the
intellectual status of communities. They made witch-hunt-
ing a branch of their social police, and desire for social
solidarity. That this was wrong and mischievous is granted;
but it is ordinary human conduct now as then. It was a most
illogical, capricious, and dangerous form of enforcing pun-
ishment, abating nuisances, and shutting out disagreeable
truths; fertile in injustice, oppression, the shedding of inno-
cent blood, and the extinguishing of light. No one can jus-
tify it, or plead beneficial results from it which could not have
been secured with far less evil in other ways. But it was
natural that, believing the crime to exist, they should use
the belief to strike down offenders or annoyances out of reach
of any other legal means. They did not invent the crime for
the purpose, nor did they invent the death penalty for this
crime. We impute a cruelty to them which has no basis, be-
cause we shrink from the infliction of the death penalty as
that age did not. They saw no more cruelty in putting this
particular sort of criminal to death than any other.
One other general remark is called out by the non-recog-
nition of it in most writing on witchcraft. The skeptics —
who were never such as to the abstract existence of witchcraft,
but only as to its existence in their own community, or the
adequacy of the explanation in individual cases — formed but
a small part of the whole body of suspects. The majority
were as firm believers in the black art as their accusers; they
believed that though personally innocent, they were surround-
ed with those not so, that very likely those indicted as accom-
plices had really committed sorcery, and not only so, but the
actual piece of sorcery charged. That this had been in fact
206
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
committed, they no more thought of doubting than a man
wrongfully accused of murder doubts that the murder has
taken place. Not to admit this is to suppose that the
social riffraff had an invariable monopoly of advanced
intelligence and clarity of mind. There is nothing to
justify such an idea; yet it is tacitly assumed that the al-
leged witches and wizards in all cases were the only ones in
the community free from the delusion, and were not merely
protesting against the sacrifice of their own lives unjustly, but
against what they believed to be in its own nature falsehood
and perjury. If we disabuse ourselves of this notion, and re-
member that they probably thought merely that suspicion for
a real crime had fallen on the wrong person, we shall under-
stand better how they could confess in their crazed anguish
to the commission of the crimes of which they had heard all
their lives, and could involve others in the same doom.
The number of lives taken for this cause in colonial Con-
necticut seems to have been nine, all in the years 1647-62 ; but
the 1647 case is dubious, and the number may not be above
eight. After 1662 no more blood was shed here on this
ground ; some reasons are suggested later. In the exact half-
century (1647-97) between the first indictment and the last,
allowing the doubtful case, twenty-eight persons in all were
accused of the crime before the courts of Connecticut and
New Haven colonies, — seven of them, or one-fourth, in a
single "flurry," that of 1662; three were in New Haven,
1653-7. Three other convictions of guilty were found be-
sides those followed by executions ; but as the courts either set
aside the verdicts or released the convicted, they belong to the
credit side. Communities are judged by the final action of
their superior elements, not by the intentions of their lower.
New Haven apparently escaped all share of the bloodshed by
207
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
having judge instead of jury trial, — there was no difference in
belief or law, and certainly no superior personal humanity,
witness the much harsher treatment of the Quakers, — and
that judge the governor, Theophilus Eaton, a gentleman of
exemplary sense and moderation. Men of superior station
were not always exempt from the frenzy of the mass, — wit-
ness the Salem craze; but in general their experience would
undermine the bigoted self-confidence of the more ignorant,
and their station exempted them from either annoyance or
ridicule by the social pariahs, of whose dread the lesser good-
men and goodies rid themselves by sending them to the gal-
lows. We shall see reason to surmise that this acted on the
Connecticut as well as the New Haven magistrates.
The foundation of the witchcraft laws was the Mosaic
code, on which the Puritan colonies based their catalogue of
capital crimes; both New Haven and Connecticut make the
same citations, Ex. xxii:i8, Lev. xx:27, and Deut. xviii:io, as
authority. The first, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,"
was evidently regarded as binding as any other command-
ment; why not the second, commanding the witch to be
stoned to death, is one of the distinctions drawn by every
age in theological matters as related to practice, for the med-
itation of the outsider. But as their legislation was not to
conflict with the English, there was a more direct precedent
in the British statute of 1603, passed immediately after the
accession of James L, and as a graceful compliment to his
'Demonology.' The Connecticut law of 1642 reads, "If any
Man or Woman bee a Witch, that is, hath or consulteth with
a F'amiliar Spirritt, they shall bee put to Death." The New
Haven statute of 1655 is, ''It any person be a Witch, he or
she shall be put to death, according to" the list of Scripture
texts above.
208
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The first capital case in Connecticut is always assigned to
(March) 1646-7, on the clear statement of Winthrop's Jour-
nal of that year: "A Person of Windsor was put to Death
on the Charge of Witchcraft at Hartford." This is, how-
ever, a very perplexing matter. There is no entry of any
such case on the records of the Hartford Particular Court,
where all the witchcraft cases for the neighboring towns
were tried, and where every other case is set down, nor in the
local annals of Windsor or Hartford, though as the first case
it must have been a great sensation in those little towns, and
the next one was carefully written up. Nor is it at all cer-
tain that the entry was made at that time: it is in a large
blank space at the end of the year 1646, and may have
been later information written in and misdated, especially as
Winthrop seems not to have been told the victim's sex. On
the other hand, he did not invent it outright, and if a mis-
take it must be a confusion with some one else; but it can
in that case be no one but Mary Johnson following, and to
suppose that on hearing of the execution of a witch from
Wethersfield a few weeks before his death (and there is a
good probability she was not executed till long after it),
he turned back the leaves of his diary and miscopied it into a
place two years earlier as one from Windsor, is so extra-
ordinary an improbability that it would seem much easier to
believe that the records are wrong. Yet though this seems
a simple explanation, it is in this case so difficult to support
that we are left in a blind alley. Local records may yet
turn up and throw light on this case.
The first certain execution was that of Mary Johnson
("Jonson") of Wethersfield, at Hartford, in 1649 or 1650.
On Dec. 7, 1648, a "Bill of Inditement" was framed against
her, "that by her owne Confession, shee is guilty of Famil-
209
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
iarity with the Deuill." She appears to have been an un-
chaste and hght-fingered servant-girl, who two years before
had been whipped for "Theuery" (if it was the same Mary
Johnson). Whom she had bewitched, or how, we have no
statement (all we know is from Mather's 'Magnalia') ; but
finding she was to be hanged in any event, she furnished a
very satisfactory "confession," which if the "Deuill" is
omitted is probable enough. She was discontented with her
work, and perpetually wishing the Devil to take certain
things, especially disagreeable household duties; one was
cleaning out the ashes, and many thousands in the time of the
great old-fashioned fireplace have probably echoed her as-
piration. Satan obligingly complied with her wish, and on
one occasion drove the hogs out of the yard when they had
broken in. She also confessed that she had "committed un-
cleanness both with men and with Devils," and murdered a
child (quite likely her own) . She was said to be "very Pen-
itent." Servant-girls were more plentiful then than now, or
the community would not have spared her, even for the lux-
ury of an auto-da-fe. She was probably not hanged till the
spring of 1650.
The petition of Uncas to the United Colonies of New
England, in the winter of 1649-50, to protect him from the
sorceries of other Indians, is hardly relev^ant to our subject.
Connecticut was asked to appoint a committee to look into
it, but seems not to have acted; and would have had a divert-
ing time examining Indian deponents and passing sentence on
Indian culprits, in re the question what was normal and what
was abnormal in an Indian.
On Feb. 20, 1650-1, an indictment was found against a
Wethersfield carpenter named John Carrington, and his wife
"Joane," in common form, for having "Intertained ffamiliar-
210
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ity with Sathan, the Great Enemye of God and Mankinde,"
and accomplished wonderful works past human power by his
aid. We note again that though convicted, they were not
hanged till March 19, 1653. These long imprisonments
suggest that the Connecticut magistrates were trying to do in-
directly what the New Haven ones could do directly, and
release the prisoners after public excitement had cooled
down. Unfortunately they had not the same power. There
is a reasonable possibility that they would have escaped, how-
ever, but for the Bassett and Knapp cases, and that all four
were hanged together in 1653, in a sudden exacerbation of
feeling.
The next two cases seem to have been closely connected;
the connection should be emphasized, because neglect of it
has been made the basis of some virulent detraction of an
important man. The earlier was of Goodwife Bassett, at
Stratford, in 1651; the later of Goodwife Knapp, at Fair-
field, in 1653. These two towns had a Particular Court in
common, with joint magistrates sitting alternately in the two;
that of Fairfield was its founder Roger Ludlow, one of the
leading founders of Connecticut. All we know of Goody
Bassett is that Governor Haynes and two Magistrates went
down to "keepe Courte uppon her Tryall for her Life," after
May 15, 1 65 I. She was hanged; we cannot tell when, per-
haps not till 1653. One of the efforts of the prosecutors and
promoters of the prosecution at each trial was to have the
witch name her fellow witches, so that all might be rooted
out; and the frantic victims, out of mental break-down or
honest belief in the crime having been committed, vengeful-
ness or mischief, would often involve others, so that it is re-
markable this ninepin system had not brought on a holo-
caust of murders long before the Salem times. It would seem
211
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
that Goody Bassett had hinted at some one in Fairfield,
without giving names, and suspicion vacillated between
Goody Knapp and the young wife of one Thomas Staplies;
at last it fixed or first fixed on the former, who was tried,
convicted, and hanged — almost certainly early in 1653. Her
case is the most painful in the entire Connecticut list, for she
impresses one as the best woman : how the just and high-
minded old lady had excited hate or suspicion, we cannot
know.
The loss of the court record (carried off by Ludlow) de-
prives us of any direct account of her indictment; the whole
matter was brought out in a libel suit which followed. While
Mrs. Knapp was in prison she was beset as usual, by the gos-
sips of the town, to name her accomplices. They were espe-
cially insistent with her to name Mrs. Staplies; their un-
scrupulous pertinacity, according to their own testimony, was
enough to have worn out the constancy and broken down the
fibre of any one living, but was powerless, for a while at
least, against her upright firmness and honor. They were
especially insistent with her to name Mrs. Staplies, but she
refused again and again, bearing her tormentors' nagging
with Christian meekness and patience. She said she would not
add to her condemnation by accusing another falsely; that
even if Mrs. Staplies had wronged her in her testimony
(probably a mistake), she would not render evil for evil; and
at last burst into tears and asked her persecutor to pray for
her, for never was any one so tempted as she had been —
which did not soften the set narrow women around her by a
shade. It is true, others swore that she wavered and incrimi-
nated Mrs. Staplies next day; but if true, that would only
show that she was breaking down under the torture, with a
horde of women warning her to "take heede that the Deuill
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perswaded her not to sow malicious seed to doe hurt when she
was dead." And let us bear in mind that she too believed
in witchcraft, and on the appeals to her conscience, perhaps
felt doubts if she were not doing wrong to hide anything she
knew, as Mrs. Staplies might really be a witch.
At all events, unless Ludlow was a barefaced liar (which
is a theory out of court), Mrs. Knapp had been beset and
perplexed into telling him at the gallows (he having taken
his own turn in harrying her on the way thither) that Mrs.
Staplies was the one hinted at by Mrs. Bassett. He was on
exceedingly bad terms with Mrs. Staplies ; made a practice
of accusing her of falsehood, and once told her to her face
she "went on in a tract of lying." This could have been left
as a matter of opinion ; but shortly afterward, Mr. and Mrs.
Davenport of New Haven (the Rev. John) spread abroad a
private conversation of Ludlow with them at their home
(defending themselves by saying they had not been asked to
keep it secret, which Ludlow denied), in which he told them
of this confession of Mrs. Knapp, and said Mrs. Staplies had
laid herself under suspicion of being a witch by her skepti-
cism of Mrs. Knapp being one. They professed to think the
story mere malice on Mrs. Knapp's part (they did not know
her), and accused Ludlow of trying to spread gossip; a
rather impudent charge, as it was they and not he who were
spreading the gossip that might bring to the gallows the
very woman they professed to be defending. They stated
in excuse that Ludlow told them Mrs. Knapp had been over-
heard, and he was afraid others would spread it; but then
they might not, and it was obvious Ludlow did not intend to.
In fact, he said nothing worse than that she w^as a foolish
woman for bringing suspicion on herself — in which her best
friends might concur, though we respect her sense and out-
213
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
spokenness. She seems from the record to have been an
inquisitive and long-tongued but good-hearted and rational
woman, with a sense of humor her townswomen sadly lacked,
and which helps to account for their acrid hostility to her. It
is not safe to laugh at people who can hang you. But the
danger was too great for quiescence; and her husband
brought suit for defamation — not against the Davenports
who had circulated the defamation, but against Ludlow who
had kept the worst part of it quiet. The counts were three,
— the statement of the confession, statements as to her in-
credulity of Goody Knapp being a witch, and calling her a
liar.
Ludlow had for some weeks been preparing to leave Amer-
ica for good (he spent his last years in Holyhead, Wales),
had his ship engaged, and must have received the process
but a few days before he went; he therefore left funds with
his attorney. Ensign Alexander Bryan of Milford (New
Haven colony), to satisfy any judgment, with directions to
collect evidence and defend the case. Bryan collected an
overwhelming mass to show that Ludlow only told matter of
universal notoriety ; then he went into court with it May 29
— but curiously, this suit of one Connecticut citizen against
another was not brought in the Fairfield court, but before
the New Haven General Court, which had no jurisdiction
over Fairfield and would not have been allowed to meddle
of its own motion. The only explanation yet attempted is
worse than worthless, being a false statement — that Ludlow
was a "refugee" in New Haven. I can suggest but one ex-
planation : that Ludlow, having expressly or virtually re-
signed his Connecticut citizenship, was a citizen of nowhere
but England in general when the process was served; that
there was therefore free choice of jurisdiction between the
214
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
parties, and that the two agreed on New Haven as being
fairer for the plaintiff than the Fairfield Particular Court, of
which Ludlow had just left the judgeship, or the Hartford,
Ludlow having been so prominent a magistrate. In a word,
it was chosen on the basis of an umpire. That court, how-
ever, took the question to be not whether Ludlow told the
truth, but whether Mrs. Staplies had been brought into un-
fair danger; and on the latter ground fined Ludlow in ab-
sence £io for defamation on the first two counts, besides £5
for costs of court, and the next term fined him another £10
for accusing her of lying, which was not related to the Da-
venport story.
Part of the testimony brought out, in addition to what has
been stated, throws an interesting light on the public state of
mind. It seems Mrs. Staplies made an opportunity to strip
and examine the old woman's body after her execution, to
look for the "witch teats" which were one pretext for such
killings, and by which the Devil was supposed to suck his fa-
miliars. Having done so, she contemptuously told the others
there were no teats other than she herself or any other wom-
an had, and if those were witch marks she was one herself;
and that if the accusing gossips would search their persons
they would find the same — a remark which greatly incensed
her auditors. The highly feminine reply of one woman, that
it made no difference,— she had teats anyway, and confessed
she was a witch, — would be delicious if it were not so grim
a specimen of the reasoning on which a human life could
hang in those days.
This recital shows the gross unfairness of the charges
brought against Ludlow in connection with the case. There
is no evidence that he bore any part in fastening the charge
on Mrs. Knapp; it was the crowd of female gossips around
215
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Goody Bassett who must have done that. Nor is there any
that he was trying to punish Mrs. Staplies for skepticism over
the case : his all-powerful word would have haled her to the
same court and quite likely the same gallows as Goody
Knapp, but he withheld it, and it was her alleged friends who
came near doing her that service instead. We do not even
know that his quarrel with her was related to the Knapp case.
There is equally little basis for the assumption that the New
Haven court was acting out of spite to Ludlow : he must have
chosen or agreed to that court himself, and it distinctly stated
that it refrained from severe judgment in his absence.
Five persons, and perhaps six, had lost their lives for
witchcraft in six years at most, and it may be four of them
close together. Possibly people began to have a revulsion
of feeling at the deaths coming so quickly, and to scan the
evidence more closely. At any rate, no further executions
took place for nine years ; then there was a frenzy of suspi-
cion and several deaths, the last known in Connecticut. Mean-
time there are cases which show that common-sense was not
wholly dead, and whose grotesqueness we can freely enjoy.
In 1653, immediately after the Knapp-Staplies affairs, —
and very likely as part of the same ferment, — an old woman
named Elizabeth Godman, then living in the family of
Deputy-Governor Stephen Goodyear of New Haven, was
currently charged Vk^ith being a witch. She was a peppery
person with an active tongue, and aggressive in her
self-defenses; the other women hated and dreaded her;
she muttered a good deal to herself; and she was much too
ready with rational explanations of the evil eye and other
sorceries. Moreover, she told Rev. Mr. Hooke, teacher of
the church and afterwards Cromwell's chaplain, that witches
should be converted instead of provoked; that gentleman
216
CONxNECTICUT AS A COLONY
thereafter lent ear to the most extraordinary mass of rubbish
concerning her actions, to which in due time he deposed in
court. Finally the wife of the colonial treasurer, Joshua
Atwater, was much disturbed at Mrs. Godman's supernat-
ural scent for some figs in her pocket; and when a neigh-
bor's girl, after watching her "cutt a sopp" at Mrs. Atwa-
ter's house, had chills and fever and laid it to Mrs. God-
man's sorceries, the latter was forbidden the Atwater house.
Mrs. Godman saw the bolt coming, and with admirable
nerve summoned Mrs. Atwater, Hooke and his wife, the
Goodyears, the wife of Bishop the colonial secretary, and
others, to answer for having hinted at her being a witch.
The case was first heard May 21, 1653, but continued many
weeks with hearings and depositions, new discoveries of her
sorceries, and (more alarming still) her jeers at the witch-
craft solution of all sorts of personal and social evils. She
had suggested that Hooke's sick boy had done too much slid-
ing, and accounted for the fits and stillbirths of a Goodyear
bride (whose husband she was suspected of wanting herself,
old as she was) by heredity. Two girls had "peeked" at her
in bed and seen the Devil there, they were sure, but had been
scared away by the old woman before they had a good look
at him: and one of them had the ague some days after.
Goody Thorpe had a chicken die and others "drope" after
refusing to sell them to Mrs. Godman. Finally, on August
4 the court gave judgment that the defendants had a right to
suspect her, and that she was reputed a great liar; that she
must not go about to other houses "in a rayling manner," as
heretofore, but "keepe her place and medle with her own
business," otherwise she would come before them again and
all this evidence would count. Unluckily, she did not heed
this admonition, and two years later she was up again. She
217
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
certainly had the art of making herself well hated, and New
Haven felt that it had too much of her. Mr. Goodyear had
turned her out, the prayer meeting had barred her out, and
the neighbors had had deplorable experiences with their pro-
ducts and animals, all laid on her head. She was sent to pris-
on in August, to be capitally tried in October; her health be-
ing bad, however, she was released with a warning in Sep-
tember. Then there was more unaccountable work of the
Evil One, Mr. Hooke being the chief sufferer; it seems for-
tunate this person was in New Haven and not Connecticut,
or Salem might have been outdone in the tale of slaughter.
The court in October decided, however, that though she was
"full of lying," and it was a pretty clear case so far as suspi-
cion went, there was not evidence enough yet to put her to
death, and she was let off with the old warning not to go
about making enemies for herself. She gave £50 security for
good behavior, and disappears till her death in 1660.
Just before her second committal, on July 3, 1655, Nicho-
las Bayly and his wife were apprehended on suspicion, but
were told that they would not be proceeded against just now;
after several examinations they were advised to leave the
colony on account of the wife's "lying malice and filthy
speeches," she acting as if "possessed with the verey Devill."
In 1657 New Haven had another equally plain case. This
was a charge by Thomas Moulenor that William Meaker
had bewitched his pigs, several of which had sickened and
died; he discovered Meaker's agency by putting first the sev-
ered tail and ear of a sick pig into the fire, and then the re-
mainder "till it was dead." Meaker brought suit for defa-
mation; it is significant of the confidence felt in the justice
and moderation of the magistrates, that in New Haven the
accused took the aggressive. Moulenorwas a "tough subject."
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CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
drunken, quarrelsome, litigious, and insubordinate; he had
been under £ioo bonds for good behavior the last twelve
years, and the court called his attention to this and informed
him that the colony would be better off without than with
him. He withdrew his charge.
In 1657-8 a case came to Connecticut from beyond its re-
cent Long Island possessions : at Easthampton, where Lion
Gardener lived. One of his servants accused another, Good-
wife Garlicke, of killing her baby by sorcery; Gardener testi-
fied that the accuser had taken an Indian baby to nurse, and
to gain the money had let her own baby starve. The magis-
trates, however, seem to have been rather proud of their
first sorcery case, and felt it incumbent on them to treat de-
monology with more respect; and not being competent
judges, deputed two men to take Mrs. Garlicke to "Keniti-
cut," deliver her up to the authorities for trial, and ask to
have Easthampton annexed to Connecticut. The May term
1658 acquitted her, and sent her back with a letter from Gov-
ernor Winthrop to the town, admonishing them to treat Jos.
Garlicke and his wife "neighbourly and peaceably," if they
expected like treatment from them. Nevertheless, by some
abstruse reasoning they made her husband pay the cost of her
transportation and lodging.
From 1659 to 1663 Saybrook took its turn, but there is
little to learn about the case. In the former year Samuel
Wyllys and John Mason were deputed to go there and ex-
amine the "suspitions about witchery"; but no further rec-
ord appears till Sept. 5, 1661, when Nicholas and Margaret
Jennings were indicted for "having caused the death of sev-
eral." This is much the worst indictment drawn against any
Connecticut witches, and would naturally have given them
short shrift; especially if (as pretty certain) they are the
219
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
"Nicholas Gennings" and "Margarett Poore, alias Bed-
forde," who were brought before the New Haven General
Court in 1643 ^^ runaway servants, guilty of lewdness, theft,
and other misdemeanors, and were sentenced to be whipped
and married. But perhaps the very atrocity of the charge
made the jury skeptical; anyway, on Oct. 9 it disagreed.
The case would seem to have been sharply debated outside
the record; for on March 1 1, 1663, the Connecticut General
Court disallowed the Saybrook constables' charges for wit-
nesses in the case, and announced that they would pay no
such charges in the future.
The cases of 1662 were Connecticut's nearest approach to
the Salem cases of thirty years later, and originated in much
the same fashion : here there were two different and possibly
unconnected cases of hysterical suggestion, but not falling on
ground quite so well prepared, nor stimulated by such en-
couragements to falsehood, so that it did not approach the
magnitude of that terrible devastation. Seven persons were
indicted, of whom two were certainly executed and probably
a third. The fire and tow respectively were nervous people
fed upon tales of witchcraft and the knowledge of the
executions for it at their own doors, and social pariahs a sub-
ject of mingled dislike and apprehension to their neigh-
bors. It began with the eight-year-old girl of John Kelly,
who in the delirium of sickness, in the spring of 1662, cried
out against Mrs. William Ayres (whom she had of course
been taught to shun) for afflicting her; she died, and an au-
topsy was held to see if her interior gave any token of illegiti-
mate causes. Goody Avres foreboded it as a death-warrant
(which was made extra ground of suspicion), and effecting
her escape, fled with her husband, leaving behind a son, who
was apprenticed by the General Court. It is probable that the
220
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
water ordeal had previously been tried on them — tying hand
and foot and throwing them in to swim ; it certainly had on
one couple. Increase Mather says that a bystander (who had
the instincts of a man of science) asserted that floating was
no proof, because any one would float in that condition; and
offered himself for an experiment, but sank when thrown in.
In the flurry of suspicion, others were apprehended also:
among them Judith, wife of Caspar Varleth and sister-in-law
of Peter Stuyvesant, who wrote a letter in her favor and
probably secured her release, and one James Walkley, who
fled to Rhode Island. On June 13, Mary the wife of An-
drew San ford was indicted after the usual formula, for hav-
ing done acts and learned secrets beyond the ordinary course
of nature by Satan's help. She was convicted, but nothing
more is known of her.
The next step in the tragedy is very like the Salem per-
formances also. Ann Cole was a religious melancholiac, tor-
mented with doubts about her religious welfare; and in 1662
began to take fits in which she maundered for some hours
about a company of evil spirits taking counsel how to ruin
her (with supernatural witlessness, in the hearing of their
victim), and concluding to "confound her language that she
may tell no more tales." They did it so clumsily that she
merely talked in a Dutch brogue: she was not intimate with
the only Dutch family there, and her hearers (she always had
her fits before hearers) were convinced that only supernatural
means could have given her so good a Dutch accent. The fits
were contagious, and she and two other women had them in
church several times, doubtless without consciousness that
they were the most interesting objects there. A special day
of prayer was held for them, and they rose to the occasion so
vigorously that one of the company fainted at the sight; and
221
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Ann Cole denounced Elizabeth, wife of Richard Seager, as
a witch. Mrs. Seager characterized It as a "hodge-podge,"
as no doubt It was; but barely escaped with her life, being In-
dicted three times, — Jan. 6, 1662-3, July 2, 1663 (accused
of witchcraft, adultery, and blasphemy, but convicted only
of adultery), and July 16, 1665. The last time she was
found guilty and lodged In prison, but after about a year was
released (May 18, 1666), and removed to the Alsatia of the
oppressed, Rhode Island. As the victims were unjustly ac-
cused, we praise the government which sheltered them; but
as they were usually undesirable citizens of their old resi-
dence, the false charge hardly made them desirable acquisi-
tions to the new one.
Among the other disesteemed citizens of Hartford at this
time were Nathaniel Greensmlth and his wife Rebecca, of
whom he was the third husband. He was a well-to-farmer,
€very now and then convicted of petty thievery, assault and
battery, or lying. She is described by Rev. John Whiting as
a "lewd. Ignorant, and considerably aged woman," with two
daughters by her first marriage. Almost every country town
has such families (granting the accuracy of the details), —
low-caste, of bad example, a thorn in the side of the respecta-
ble Inhabitants, and of whom no one Is quite sure what they
will do some time. The interesting feature of the witchcraft
cases isj that so often these parties have accumulated consid-
erable property. Greensmlth's estate Inventoried about £182,
equal in relative rank to fully $5,000 now, and that in a coun-
try town. From his wife's "confession," one may suspect
that there were local doubts of Its being all honestly acquired.
The Greensmlths lived next door to the Coles, the first lot on
the present Wethersfield Avenue. As a result of these va-
rious excitements and suggestions, Rebecca was arrested and
222
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
lodged In prison. She had probably the repute of a witch al-
ready, as her husband at that very time had an action pend-
ing against William i\yres for slandering her, most likely
with charges of sorcery, perhaps to relieve his own wife. The
result is one of those surprising things we frequently meet in
these cases, and which justified the witch-hunters to them-
selves and every one else then, and makes it hard to blame
them now. How should they doubt the truth when the ac-
cused themselves owned to it all, and more? Mrs. Green-
smith not only confessed everything charged against her, but
invented a luxuriant confession of all sorts of things derived
from the stock witch-tales on which she had been fed; and
every time a new person asked her questions, she had a fresh
confession ready to oblige them. Why? — who can tell?
Probably her weak old brain was full of delusions, and had
given way under the strain. She said that she had resolved
at first to deny it all, but it was as though the flesh were
pulled off her bones, and she must tell the truth. That the
questioners asked if the Devil had had sexual intercourse with
her, and she admitted that he frequently had, are matters of
course. Perhaps Rev. Mr. Whiting's charge that she was
*'lewd" means only this, as the "considerably aged" wife of
a prosperous third husband should have the presumption of
decent conduct.
On Dec. 30, 1662, the Hartford Particular Court indicted
the couple for familiarity with Satan and its usual results.
The husband refused to make a confession, but his wife re-
confessed enough for both, her statement probably shot with
threads of irrelevant but fatally confirmatory truth. On
Jan. 8, 1662-3, she fairly outdid herself. The first Item
of the confession was probably true : "My husband . . .
told me that now thou hast confest against thyself, let me
223
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
alone and say nothing of me and I will be good unto thy
children." This reasonable request was thrown away: con-
trary to the kindly and honorable Goody Knapp, she accused
everybody within reach, her husband first of all, and mainly
following the beaten track of local suspicions, — Goodies
Seager, Sanford, and Ayres, James Walkley, and Judith
Varleth. These others were either out of reach or the court
discredited the charge; but her husband and herself were
found guilty and shortly executed. Ann Cole at once re-
covered, and ten years later married a widower with eight
children (Andrew Benton) , who a couple of years before had
bought Greensmith's confiscated estate, where she spent the
remainder of her days. Her nerves must have recovered to
an enviable equipose, or it would seem she might have pre-
ferred some other residence; but sentiment was not mor-
bidly insistent in those times, especially with a passee spinster
who had an offer of marriage.
Two days before the last confession of Goody Green-
smith, Mary Barnes of Farmington was indicted for witch-
craft and found guilty by the jury. What relation, if any,
her case had to the Greensmiths', is not known, but prob-
ably it was part of the same outbreak. The only further
note of her fate is a bill for "keep" in prison; and as this
was for about the same length of time as the Greensmiths, she
was probably executed like them.
Connecticut's debauch was over for many years. What
produced the change, is matter of inference. Probably the
very extent and fury of the craze, as with the Salem cases,
showed the community the possible abyss under its feet, and
bred secret doubts. Its close, too, is nicely coincident with
the new charter, the absorption of New Haven, and the ex-
pansion of horizon due to this great enlargement of political
224
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
interests, with the overturn in New York. Nor is it altogether
unlikely that the new spirit introduced by the Restoration, the
violent reaction against Puritanism in the old country, gave
courage to the more liberal element in the new to hold up its
head. Something certainly strengthened the hands of the
Connecticut magistrates.
In May 1669 occurred the most remarkable case in the
colony, in one respect. One of the richest persons in Weth-
ersfield was indicted for witchcraft: Catherine Harrison,
widow of a former town surveyor and crier, who had died
three years before worth by appraisal £610 — equivalent cer-
tainly to fifteen or twenty thousand dollars now, and in a
rural village. She had three daughters, the eldest sixteen. A
jury of the Court of Assistants convicted her; she appealed
to the General Court, May Term 1670, which heard the
case without a jury and acquitted her, but compelled her to
pay the costs, and advised her to leave the town for her own
safety and the neighbors' content. As the court knew the lo-
cal circumstances, we may infer that it thought she had her-
self to thank for much of the trouble, in what way we can-
not guess. She went to Westchester, N. Y., but its inhab-
itants attempted to send her back; after three years' harry-
ing, however, an accusation before the new Dutch governor
(Colve) failed ignominously, and she was thereafter left
unmolested.
In 1683 the house of Nicholas Desborough in Hartford
was pelted with stones and clods by invisible hands, and a
fire set without much harm, till Desborough returned some
goods belonging to a neighbor, when the supernatural man-
ifestations ceased.
When the Salem craze spread over New England in 1692,
one spot in Connecticut shared it deeply; that actual blood-
225
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
shed was averted testifies to the general broadening which
upheld the magistrates in not carrying out sentences. That
spot was Fairfield, an instance of the persistent localization
of feeling which shows that each community has its separate
moral physiognomy. Perhaps it shows too that the feuds of
forty years before were still smoldering; for we find our old
friend Mrs. Staplies, who must by this time have become
an expert (there can hardly have been two witches of the
name, unless she had trained a daughter-in-law In her own
craft), among the accused and imprisoned. The Connecticut
General Court ordered a special court held in Fairfield,
which assembled in September (14 or 19), composed of the
leading men of the colony — including Governor Treat, Depu-
ty-Governor William Jones (Eaton's son-in-law), and Secre-
tary John Allyn — and a grand and petty jury. To be fully
prepared with evidence, the townspeople had put two sus-
pects, Mercy Disborough and Elizabeth Clawson, to the wa-
ter ordeal; both "swam like a cork," we are required to be-
lieve, though the crowd tried to push at least Mrs. Dis-
borough under. The two, with Mrs. Staplies and one Goody
Miller, were indicted, and some two hundred witnesses ex-
amined. The jury disagreed, and the court met again on
Oct. 28 for final decision. More evidence was taken. Includ-
ing the examination of the prisoners' bodies for witch-marks
by a committee of women. Their report Is not quotable with
decency : evidently none of the committee had grown old and
flabby, or would admit the fact if so; each should have been
at least seventy. The jury were required to find a verdict;
they evidently attached no weight to the ordeal or the "witch-
marks," for they found all but Mercy Disborough not guilty,
and convicted her. They were sent out to reconsider the ver-
dict, but repeated It. The Governor, for the judges, then
22n
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
pronounced the death sentence; but (probably at the sugges-
tion of the members of the court) a memorial to the General
Assembly for her pardon was drawn up. Although there is
no record of formal action, she was doubtless quietly re-
leased, as she (or her double) was alive fifteen years later.
An unexplained sporadic case occurred in Fairfield short-
ly after this: on Nov. 15 one Hugh Crosher ("Crocia") was
indicted for witchcraft; but on May 8, 1693, the grand jury
threw it out, indorsing "Ignoramus" (we know nothing of
it) on the bill.
One more indictment, in 1697, probably closes the list of
Connecticut's witchcraft prosecutions, though it was not the
last appearance of the crime for the courts' cognizance. This
was in Wallingford, where "Winnifrett Denham Sr." and
the same Jr. (a girl of twelve or thirteen) were indicted for
the old common-form acts, and for "misteriously hurting the
Bodies and Goods of . . . Jno. Moss, Jr., Joseph Roys,
and Ebenezer Clark, with divers others." They were searched
for witch-teats, subjected to the water-ordeal, and excom-
municated by the ministers; what happened to them is un-
certain, except that they saved their lives. Fowler's 'His-
tory of Salem Witchcraft' (1765 ) says they were bound over
to the Superior Court at Hartford, acquitted at the August
Term 1697, again complained of, and fled to New York. Un-
fortunately, the Superior Court records from 1697 to 1701
are lost. Davis' 'History of Wallingford and Meriden' says
the grand jury indorsed on the bill "Ignoramus"; but this
may be a confusion with the case of Hugh Crosher.
From 1665 on, all the convictions had been virtually
quashed by the court; it has been intimated that the court's
will to do so earlier was probably as good as that of the New
Haven body. There is no further evidence of any active
227
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AxND STATE
measures to suppress witchcraft in Connecticut, or I believe
in New England: the so-called Age of Queen Anne, indeed,
was already at hand in England, and its spirit probably felt
even in New England, and it was not a spirit of zeal. But
one more case brought the general merits of the witchcraft
theory before the courts, as late as 1724. One Sarah Spen-
cer had removed from East Haddam to Colchester, carrying
with her the repute of a witch. She suffered so much annoy-
ance from it that her minister, Rev. John Bulkley, gave her
a certificate for "good religion and virtue." But on revisiting
Haddam, one Elizabeth Ackley cried out on Mrs. Spencer
for "pinching and riding" her, and the husband James Ack-
ley threatened her if she came that way again. Mrs. Spen-
cer sued them for £500 damages in the County Court, and
received £5 with costs; the defendants appealed to the Supe-
rior Court, which gave the case to a jury, who awarded Mrs.
Spencer one shilling damages, and said they found the de-
fendants not insane — wherefore we may infer that they were
a poor old half-crazy couple not thought capable of harm-
ing any one.
In other American colonies considering themselves entitled
to throw stones at the Puritans, and liberally availing them-
selves of the privilege, the superstition as an active force
survived much later than in New England: the water ordeal
was practiced in Virginia in 171 2. And what Hutchinson
said late in the eighteenth century has never been contra-
dicted, — that "more have been put to death in a single coun-
ty in England, in a short space of time, than have suffered
in all New England from the first settlement to this time."
The chief distinction of New England from Old England in
this matter, in fact, is that its rural population were so soon,
so far, and so universally emancipated from the sway of the
228
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
superstition; that its own historians have so unflinchingly
dragged the facts to light; and that the revolt of its sons
against the system of their ancestors has led them to welcome
and themselves exaggerate every charge against the latter,
to deny them the commonest justice of pleading, and to judge
them by a standard imposed on no other people in history.
Furthermore, the history of an English county is only ranked
as local antiquities, sunk out of sight in the larger issues of
English history; while the Puritan American common-
wealths are independent entities, set on a hill for all to scru-
tinize, their every detail of social action enveloped in a glare
of light, and usually hostile light. If there are other Amer-
ican foundations seemingly freer from this particular delu-
sion than New England, it will be found on examination that
it was only on the surface; that the differences were not in
beliefs, which were no more advanced or rational than those
of the Puritans, but in the power of effective action under
them; that while the New England commonwealths were
relatively homogeneous, in others there were different ele-
ments neither of which had power to persecute the rest, nor
was inclined to persecute itself in the presence of the others.
F. M.
229
CHAPTER XII
Indian Troubles from 1640 to 1675
THE colony of Connecticut was not to be en-
tirely relieved of her Indian troubles by the
termination of the Pequot war. The planters
of Wethersfield demanded the punishment of
the perpetrators of the massacre which oc-
curred in their plantation In 1637, and accused Sowheag the
Indian Sachem of instigating the outrage and of concealing
the murderers. Sowheag had removed to Mattabesett (now
MIddletown), and lived in a fort situated on high ground,
three-quarters of a mile northwest of the present court-house.
His tribe consisted of from three to four hundred warriors,
thickly located on the banks of the Connecticut River. His
authority extended over the Wethersfield Indians, and one
of his sons was a Sagamore of that tribe from which the New
Haven colonists made their original purchase. Sowheag
paid no attention to the English demands for the surrender of
the murderers, and the colonists decided to follow their re-
quests by recourse to arms. It was determined to raise a
company of one hundred men, and notification was given to
the New Haven settlers that hostilities were to begin. The
cautious executive of the New Haven colony remonstrated
with the Connecticut authorities, urging that the colonists
needed their men and means to develop the country. Connec-
ticut acceded to this voice of reason, and matters were ami-
cably arranged between Sowheag and the Wethersfield plant-
ers.
A stray band of Pequots had built a village on the banks
of the Pawcatuck River, and were again hunting over their
old haunts and tilling their old fields. This aroused the
wrath of the Connecticut settlers ; the very name of Pequot
was enough to inflame them to vindictive measures, and as
long as any were there, a conflict with the other Indians was
233
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
always liable to draw in the colony. The General Court of
Connecticut raised a company of forty soldiers, and this was
reinforced by a hundred of their Indian allies under the lead-
ership of Uncas. The command of the expedition was given
to Captain John Mason, and the instructions of the Court
were to proceed against the Pequots, "drive them off, burn
their wigwams, and bring away their corn." At the ap-
proach of Mason's party the Indians fled; their wigwams
were burned, their corn harvest and their utensils were car-
ried aboard Mason's bark; fifty canoes were filled, thirty
having been seized from the enemy.
The Indians throughout southern New England were kept
in a state of continual warfare by Uncas, the sagacious and
wily ally of the colonists. The extinction of the Pequot na-
tion gave Uncas the opportunity of again asserting his rights,
as a member of the "royal" family, to the office of Chief
Sachem of the Mohegans. This tribe had been augmented
by the one hundred Pequot warriors allowed by the treaty of
1638, and by many refugees from that nation, beside wan-
derers from other tribes. The alliance between Uncas and
the English was of mutual benefit; it added to the chieftain's
tribe those who desired protection, or wished to shine by the
reflected glory of such a brilliant and politic leader; to the
colonies Uncas was useful in war, and in peace was a spy on
his brother Sachems. The rival of Uncas was Sequassen,
Sachem of the river tribes, who hoped on the overthrow of
Sassacus that he might regain his ancient influence, and the
leadership of the Connecticut Indians. He was a kinsman
and ally of the Narragansetts, who still retained their hatred
of the Pequots, of which tribe they considered the Mohegans
a part. Uncas promulgated rumors that Sequassen had con-
spired with Miantonomo, chief of the Narragansetts, to
234
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
make the latter Grand Sachem of all the New England
Indians, and to declare war on the whites. The suspicions of
the colonial magistrates were aroused by these rumors, and
the Narragansett chief was summoned to Boston to answer
the charges against him. He was acquitted of all suspicions
of conspiracy; these accusations, however, increased the
hatred of Miantonomo for Uncas, and he instigated Se-
quassen to open deeds of violence. As a result of this, a lead-
ing Mohegan was assassinated, and attempts were made on
Uncas' life. The latter complained to the Connecticut au-
thorities; the governor summoned both Sachems to appear
before him, and a reconciliation was effected by Sequassen
agreeing to surrender one of his tribe for the murdered Mo-
hegan. Sequassen afterwards refused to comply with this
agreement, basing his decision on the support of his Narra-
gansett allies. In retaliation Uncas invaded Sequassen's
country, killed and wounded about twenty braves, burned
their wigwams, and carried away large quantities of plun-
der. This coming to the knowledge of Miantonomo, he
notified the executives of the Massachusetts and Connecticut
colonies that he proposed to engage in war with the Mo-
hegans, and asked if they would be offended. Governor
Haynes replied that the English did not uphold Uncas in his
depredations, and Governor Winthrop answered that he
would leave him to choose his own course. Thus did Mian-
tonomo comply with the conditions of the treaty of 1638, by
submitting his complaints to the English before proceeding to
war upon the Mohegans.
The Narragansett chieftain collected a large body of war-
riors; notification of which reached Uncas at his fort about
five miles below the present site of Norwich. Hastily gath-
ering his braves, Uncas with about three hundred followers
235
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
marched to a spot situated in the present town of Nor-
wich, known as the Great Plain. The Narragansetts
numbered twice as many as their adversaries; and on
the approach of Miantonomo's army, TJncas sent forward
a courier to request an intervnew. The Narragansett chief
acceded to this request, and the Sachems met in a narrow
space between the armies. Uncas, with sagacious cunning,
proposed to Miantonomo to settle their differences by per-
sonal combat, and thereby save the lives of their followers.
Confident in the superiority of his men, Miantonomo rejected
the offer, as Uncas had expected. The time had now arrived
for the preconcerted strategem : Uncas threw himself flat
on the ground, which was the signal for his braves to shower
arrows upon the astonished and unsuspecting Narragansetts.
After the volley, Uncas sprung from the ground and led his
army to a hand-to-hand fight with the tomahawk. The Nar-
ragansetts, stricken with panic, fled from the field in disorder,
madly pursued by the Mohegans.
The flight of Miantonomo being retarded by an English
corselet, he was finally captured by Uncas, and no effort was
made by his affrighted followers to rescue their Sachem.
The captive chieftain was treated with kindness and respect
by his captors; and the Narragansetts forwarded to him at
different times various fathoms of wampum, which Mianto-
nomo presented to Uncas and his counsellors. The Narra-
gansetts claimed these presents to be a ransom for their
chief; but Uncas contended they were only to assure his
courteous treatment, and that his fate should be decided by
the English. Miantonomo, by his friendship and his hon-
orable actions, had made a number of friends among the
English settlers of Rhode Island, and these demanded his
release from Uncas. Afraid to murder his captive, and
23G
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
fearing that an attempt might be made to rescue him, he de-
ported Miantonomo to Hartford, where he asked the ad-
vice of the governor and council as to the disposition of his
prisoner. That body thought it not prudent for them to
interfere, as there was no open warfare between the colony
and the Narragansetts, and referred their supplicant to the
first meeting of the United Colonies of New England. Mi-
antonomo at his own request was left in the custody of the
English magistrates, though still a prisoner of Uncas.
At the session of the United Colonies of New England,
held at Boston in September 1643, ^^^ Commissioners were
predisposed in favor of Uncas on account of his submission
to the English; and they were fearful of Miantonomo's
growing power and independence of spirit. Their judgment
wavered. They deemed it unsafe to give the captive liberty,
yet could not find sufficient cause for his death. In this state of
hesitation, they referred the decision, as many others had
been done, to a body more directly advised from heaven, or
better instructed in its mandates. There was at this time a
convocation of fifty New England clergymen at Boston, and
the Commissioners referred the case to five of them for final
decision; they ordered the prisoner handed over to Uncas.
The decree was kept secret until it was known that the Con-
necticut and New Haven Commissioners had reached their
homes in safety, as they had been threatened with capture
by the Narragansetts to be held as hostages. On their ar-
rival, Uncas was notified to appear at Hartford. His
brother Wawequa, and a selected band of Mohegans, ac-
companied Uncas to the plantation, where he received the
decision of the Commissioners and his prisoner; two of the
colonists being deputized to witness the execution. The cap-
tured Sachem was taken to the plain where he had suffered
237
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
defeat; and while walking unsuspiciously, at a signal from
Uncas his brother raised his tomahawk, and sunk it in the
head of the unfortunate prisoner. Uncas cut a large piece
from the shoulder of his slain foe, and ate it with exultation,
remarking, "It is the sweetest meat I ever ate, it makes my
heart strong." Miantonomo was buried on the spot. Gov-
ernor Winthrop, in accordance with the resolutions passed by
the Commissioners, despatched messengers to the Narragan-
setts justifying Uncas in the execution of their edict, and of-
fered them peace with the English and their allies, which the
Indians were obliged to accept.
The Dutch settlement at New Netherlands was in 1643 to
become actively engaged in Indian warfare; the primary
cause was misconduct of the whites. Some Dutch traders,
making an Indian drunk, robbed him of his valuable dress
of beaver-skins; in retaliation, the victim of this theft killed
two white men and fled to a distant tribe. The following
winter, two of the Hudson River tribes of Indians were sur-
prised by the Mohawks, and having suffered defeat, several
hundred of them fled to the vicinity of Manhattan for pro-
tection. The Dutch Governor Kieft furnished them with
rations; but in an evil moment, he sought to avenge the in-
sult that had been offered the colony in not delivering to
them the Indian murderer. Kieft, with the concurrence of
his counsellors, dispatched in the night a body of soldiers
who massacred more than one hundred of the Indians while
they slept. No more foolish, wanton, and dastardly crime
was ever perpetrated on the continent by white men or red;
and the writers who are perpetually glorifying the Dutch at
the expense of the Puritans may be challenged to find any-
thing in all New England history that even resembles it in
unprovoked atrocity. The English settlers killed foes at
238
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
war, who received what they were intending to give; they
nev^er massacred guests who had sought refuge with them, —
the only case ever cited against them is where one refugee
Pequot was executed by the New Haven Colony for mur-
der of a family. There was no pretense even that these
Indians had been or were likely to be a danger to the Dutch.
Unfortunately the perpetrators and their master were not the
ones who received what they had earned. A confederacy was
formed by the Hudson River Indians and the tribes of Long
Island, to avenge this outrageous deed; they attacked the
Dutch settlements, and a fierce war raged on Long Island, in
New Netherlands, and in Connecticut as far east as Stam-
ford. English as well as Dutch settlers lost their life in this
conflict, among others being the famous Anne Hutchinson,
whose "inner light" doctrines had rent the Massachusetts
Bay Colony in twain, disordered the very military service,
and (according to Neal) delayed the Pequot expedition. Ban-
ished from the colony, an asylum was offered her In Rhode
Island by the Narragansett Indians, where she established
a community and resided till her husband's death; she then
removed to a refuge in the heart of the dense forests between
New Haven and Manhattan. Here this mother of a new
school of religion, being beyond the jurisdiction of the Eng-
lish by whom she had been proscribed, tried to cultivate the
friendship of the Indians. In her unprotected situation she
was attacked by those with whom she had attempted to live
in harmony and peace, and with her neighbors and family,
excepting only one daughter, was slaughtered by the In-
dians, who did not allow trifles like helpless innocence to
stand in the way of butchery.
The Dutch governor now sought the services of Captain
John Underbill, the redoubtable Indian fighter who had been
239
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
second in command in Mason's Pequot expedition, and was-
then living at Greenwich. He was placed at the head of a
small force and did good service on Long Island; on return-
ing to Manhattan he obtained information in regard to hos-
tile Indians at Stamford. An army of one hundred and thirty
men was raised, and Underhill was given chief command.
This expedition landed at Stamford, and made a long and
fatiguing march into the interior of the country; and soon
after ten o'clock, with a full moon illuminating the snow-
clad earth, sighted an Indian village, at the foot of an ele-
vation. I he Indians were on guard, wherefore the Dutch
surrounded the village and attempted to break through the
line. They were repulsed with heavy loss, and after a conflict
of an hour the Indians retreated to their wigwams, leaving
one hundred and eighty bodies stretched on the crimson snow.
Lnderhill applied the torch to the wigwams, as he would
have breached a fort; the Indians, forced to come out, were
annihilated by the sabres and musketry of the Dutch. Out
of five hundred souls but eight escaped to tell the tale; this
slaughter virtually ended the war. The Dutch settlers at
Manhattan gave public thanksgiving to their Maker for their
victory, — they are not stated to have held a season of fasting
and repentance for the act that provoked the war, — and con-
sidered it an act of Providence that the Lord had gathered in
one village so many of their enemies. Two months after
this, the Indians begged Captain Underhill to intervene with
the Dutch in their behalf, and articles of peace were agreed
upon.
rhe Narragansetts, seeking revenge for the loss of their
Sachem, were continually harassing the Mohegans. Alatters
finally became so troublesome that in 1644 they were sum-
moned to appear before the Commissioners. The Narragan-
240
From Vandyke's painting
'^^^^:^v/^^>l^^>^-
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
setts, in presenting their case, claimed that the wampum sent
to Miantonomo while a prisoner was a portion of a sum
agreed upon for his ransom ; this w as flatly denied by Uncas.
The Commissioners, naturally siding with Uncas, decided
that the Narragansetts had not substantiated their charges;
and cautioned them that they and the Nehantics must not at-
tack the Mohegans, as they were allies of the English, who
would protect them against their Indian enemies. The depu-
ties of the Narragansetts agreed to give the governor of Mas-
sachusetts thirty days' notice before commencing hostilities
against Uncas, and a treaty to that effect was executed. But
the Narragansetts did not consider themselves bound by the
acts of their deputies, for hostilities against the Mohegans
were recommenced in the spring of 1645; ^"^ without the
promised notice, a large force of warriors under Pessacus in-
vaded the Mohegans' country. They devastated the country
and besieged Uncas in one of his forts, where he was re-
lieved by supplies and reinforcements from the English gar-
rison at Saybrook.
The repeated attempts of the Narragansetts to subjugate
Uncas aroused indignation amongst the colonists, who felt in
honor bound to protect him. Governor Winthrop in alarm
convened an extra session of the United Colonies of New
England, and despatched couriers to the contending Indians
to invite their Sachems to visit Boston, there to settle all con-
flicting differences. The Narragansett chiefs insulted the
messengers, and claimed they would not be satisfied without
the head of Uncas. Roger Williams, the apologist of the
Narragansetts, notified the Commissioners that war was
impending. The Commissioners then formally declared war,
and a levy of three hundred men was ordered, the command
of the forces being placed in the hands of Major Edward
241
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Gibbons; the Connecticut and New Haven troops were
placed In charge of Captain John Mason. These demonstra-
tions had the desired effect, and tidings were received that
Pessacus and his chiefs would come to Boston and negotiate
peace. The Indians, Impelled by fear, executed a new treaty
in which they agreed to pay a stipulated sum of wampum to
indemnify the colonies for expenses, to restore to Uncas all
captives and canoes seized by them, to maintain perpetual
peace with the English and their allies, and to give hostages
for the faithful performance of these conditions.
During the year 1646 the Connecticut River Indians be-
came turbulent, and a plot was instigated by Sequassen to
murder the executives of the colony of Connecticut; but this
was discovered and prevented. The Indian Sachem was
cited to appear before the Commissioners; but he fled to the
Mohawks, where he remained a number of years through
fear of Uncas and the colonists. In the same year a party
of invading Mohawks was defeated by English settlers In
Mllford. It Is not apparent what provocation the settlers
had given.
The eastern Indians were kept in a continual turmoil of
strife by Uncas, who needed a wider field of action. In the
summer of 1648 an alliance was consummated between the
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut Indians, who
were to have the powerful assistance of the Mohawks, for
the purpose of making war on Uncas; this league was dis-
solved from the Mohawks becoming engaged In war with
Indian allies of the French, and through active measures
taken by the colony of Connecticut. The Mohegans were
weakened by the dissatisfaction of those of the Pequot race
who complained of the treatment they received, and who
preferred to live with their ancient enemies the Narragan-
242
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
setts and Nehantics, or as an unrecognized body, rather
than to submit any longer to the arbitrary measures of Uncas.
Ninigret, the Sachem of the Nehantics, had been carrying
on a desultory war with the Long Island Indians, which was
the cause of much trouble to the colonies. They finally de-
clared war against him, and an armed force was dispatched
to devastate his country, Ninigret fled and took refuge in a
swamp ; his canoes were destroyed, and the colonies of Con-
necticut and New Haven maintained an armed vessel to
patrol the coast, effectually preventing his expeditions to
Long Island. The war was not prosecuted with much en-
ergy, and Ninigret's power was not totally broken; but he
escaped only by making a humiliating peace. In 1657 and
1658 the Narragansetts and Nehantics, assisted by Massa-
chusetts Indians, again invaded the Mohegans' country, and
besieged Uncas; but this cunning Sachem seems to have
again defeated the best laid plans of his enemies. This ter-
minated a tedious and unrelenting warfare which had ex-
tended over a period of fifteen years.
The Commissioners of the United Colonies of New Eng-
land, at their session held in September 1655, granted a peti-
tion of the remnants of the Pequot nation to allot them
a reservation, appointed a governor, and provided them with
a code of laws. They were divided into two settlements,
one located on the Pawcatuck River, the other on the Mys-
tic, with the privilege of hunting over the wild forest lands
their tribe had ever occupied by force.
The code of laws consisted of eight sections, as follows :
I. They shall not blaspheme the name of God, the Creator
of Heaven and Earth, nor profane the Sabbath Day.
II. They shall not commit wilful murder, nor practice
witchcraft, under pain of death.
243
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
III. They shall not commit adultery, upon pain of severe
punishment.
IV. Whosoever is drunk shall pay ten shillings; but if he
have not the wherewithal to pay, he shall be punished with
ten stripes, and further receive due punishment for other
miscarriages by such means committed.
V. Whosoever stealeth the goods of another shall, upon
proof, pay at least double the worth.
VI. Whosoever shall plot mischief against the English
shall suffer death, or such other punishment as the case may
deserve.
VII. They shall neither make war, nor join in war, with
any other Indians, or people of any other nation (unless in
their own just defense), without express leave of the Com-
missioners.
VIII. They shall duly submit to such Indian governors as
the Commissioners shall yearly appoint, and to them shall
yearly pay the tribute due to the English.
Herewith the Pequots vanish from Connecticut history.
The remnant gradually died out, from drink and consump-
tion.
244
CHAPTER XIII
The Royal Charter
THE elevation of Charles II. to his hereditary
dynasty was an auspicious moment for Con-
necticut. Winthrop was governor of the
struggling colony; and though she had pur-
chased of the patentees the original grant,
this conveyed no right of government. To add to its dis-
comfiture, the colony was unable to produce the original
document when demanded by the Hamiltons. Therefore the
news of the occupancy of London by "Old Cieorge" created
an agitation in Connecticut; and to protect her existence as a
colony, she Vv-as willing to offer that homage to the son which
had been refused to his father. The General Assembly there-
fore, on March 14, 1661, acknowledged their allegiance to
Charles II., and at the same time requested of him a charter;
and advocated the preparation of an address to embody a re-
quest for "the continuance and confirmation of such privi-
leges and liberties as are necessary for the comfortable and
peaceable settlement of this colony." At the next general
election a committee was appointed to revise a draft of an
address submitted by Governor Winthrop. This and the
accompanying petition were formally approved at a session
of June 7, and Governor Winthrop's appointment as agent
"to procure us a patent" Vv'as confirmed; and he was author-
ized to draw on the treasurer for £500 to pay the expenses of
the application. Thus were energetic steps taken to procure
an authentic document to strengthen what had already been
done by popular authority.
The vessel that brought to Boston the news of the Restora-
tion, had among its passengers two of the judges of the ill-
fated Charles, fleeing from the vengeance of his son. The
following year intelligence was received of the issue of a royal
warrant for the arrest of these fugitives, whereupon they fled
247
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
to New Haven. Both Connecticut colonies were anxious that
no harm should come to the Regicides, but they assumed an
entirely different attitude toward the King's messengers.
When they were not within the jurisdiction of Connecticut,
her authorities evinced the utmost zeal for their apprehen-
sion; while the New Haven authorities, under like circum-
stances, were openly energetic in circumventing the efforts of
the King's officials. These two systems of diplomacy, which
were faithfully reported to the mother country, had a strong
influence in the struggle for recognition by the rival colonies.
Winthrop sailed on his quest in August 1661; and just
as he was embarking for England, New Haven proclaimed
her allegiance to the King, more than a year after news had
been received of his accession. This step was not taken until
she was warned by friends at court of the evil impression
created by her continued silence. There was no fulsomeness
in the form adopted. It is as follows :
"Although we have not received any form of proclamation,
by order from His Majesty or Council of State, for proclaim-
ing His Majesty in this colony, yet the Court, taking en-
couragement from what has been done in the rest of the
United Colonies, hath thought fit to declare publicly and
proclaim that we do acknowledge His Royal Highness
Charles the Second, King of England, Scotland, France, and
Ireland, to be our sovereign Lord and King, and that we do
acknowledge ourselves, the inhabitants of this colony, to be
his Majesty's loyal and faithful subjects."
Winthrop, with instructions from the colony and letters
to Lord Say and Sele and other prominent Puritans, arrived
in London with the address and petition to present to the
King. His instructions were, to consult with the original
248
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
patentees, and if possible obtain a copy of the Warwick pat-
ent; which, even such as it was, the colony had never had.
He was to have this confirmed to the colony, with such
amendments as he could obtain. If this confirmation could
not be procured, he was to apply for a new charter, claiming
boundaries extending eastward to the Plymouth line, north-
ward to the limits of the Massachusetts colony, westward to
the Bay of Delaware. The southern boundary was stated
only as a recommendation to include adjacent islands. To
save his Majesty trouble, and too minute a care in drawing
up the items, Winthrop took with him a draft of the new
patent they would like.
The address was in the florid language of the day.
It first regretted that they were separated by so vast a
distance from the influence and splendor of so great a mon-
arch, and excused themselves for their dilatory actions in
not prostrating themselves at the feet of so gracious a prince.
It lamented the wars that had deluged England with blood,
and which they had bewailed with sighs and tears. It told
how they had waited as a people in sackcloth and ashes,
relying upon the Divine Providence for protection rather
than acknowledge or accept aid of any illegitimate govern-
ment. His Majesty was implored, as their hearts had al-
ways been loyal to his interests, "to accept the colony, your
own colony, a little branch of your mighty empire." It stated
that while they had generous inclinations, their poverty was
such they could offer only their hearts and affections to his
Majesty. Winthrop, however, had £500 to offer to his
Majesty's councillors, which was much more to the purpose.
Connecticut was fortunate in the choice of an ambassador
whose diplomacy and engaging manner lent aid and strength
to her petition ; he was probably too well used to bombastic
249
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
addresses to see the humorous side as we do, and too anxious
about the result. The petition was a straightforward busi-
ness document, in which they asked for a patent on the same
terms as the one granted by the Earl of Warwick to Lord
Say and Sele and others. They wished to be relieved from
customs duties, that they might retrieve by commerce their
losses in the Pequot war.
Winthrop on his arrival in London had taken lodgings in
Coleman street, near St. Stephen's Church, and devoted his
time to the performance of those duties he had been specially
deputized to consummate. His fine physique, his scholarly
bearing, with his university education and former acquaint-
ance with Lord Say and Sele and others, were of the utmost
value in accomplishing his undertaking. Life was not simple
or cheap at the court of Charles IL, and those who would
keep up their pace and preserve their chances for favor must
have an abundant supply of money; and it is fair to pre-
sume that Winthrop, who was never required to give any ac-
counting to his economical commonwealth of the expenditure
of the £500, used it for purposes too obvious to state.
Whether it was due to the engaging personality of her am-
bassador, to the fabled presentation to his Majesty of a ring
given to the first Charles by his grandfather, or to the
venal use of money, it is certain that Winthrop succeeded in
obtaining for Connecticut a charter more democratic than
was ever before given by a King.
The governmental power derived from it lasted Connec-
ticut for a century and a half, and it has been a model for
the constitutions of her sister States. This second constitution
of Connecticut, better known as the Royal Charter, was
signed by the King April 23, 1662. It contained all the
specifications asked for by the colonists, and confirmed the
250
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
patentees in the boundaries established by the Warwick pat-
ent, and the holding of the lands in fee simple to them and
their successors forever. The patentees' names were : John
Winthrop, John Mason, Samuel Wyllys, Henry Clarke, Mat-
thew Allin, John Topping, Nathan Gold, Richard Treat,
Richard Lord, Henry Wolcott, John Talcott, Daniel Clarke,
John Ogden, Thomas Welles, Obadiah Bruen, John Clarke,
Anthony Hawkins, John Deming, Matthew Canfield, with all
the other freemen of Connecticut then existing, and those
who might afterwards be admitted electors or freemen, to
the end of time; to these were given the irrevocable privi-
leges of being "one body corporate and politic in fact and
name, by the name of the Governor and Company of the
English Colony of Connecticut in New England in America,
and that by the same name they and their successors should
have perpetual succession."
They were granted the same legal rights as the King's
subjects and corporations in England, and were to hold two
sessions of the General Assembly in each year, to consist of
the governor, deputy-governor, and twelve assistants, with
two deputies from every town or city. They were to choose
a common seal, establish courts of justice, make freemen, ap-
point officers, enact laws, impose fines, prepare and assemble
the inhabitants for common defense, and exercise martial
laws. The first patentee was named as governor, the second
deputy-governor, and the other patentees to be the first mag-
istrates. These appointees were to hold office until their
successors were elected by the people. The charter allowed
the free transportation of colonists and merchandise from
England. The astonishing feature of the Royal Charter
was, that Charles IL should have granted to a Puritan com-
monwealth the powers of its assembly to enact laws, without
251
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
any right of revision either by himself or his royal courts of
justice. Nor was there any obligation imposed on them to
account for their acts to any earthly authority.
The charter was recognized as a continuation of a gov-
ernment already established, a guarantee of the title to the
soil, and a safeguard against the aggressions of neighboring
colonies and the encroachments of the Crown. It was an ad-
mission of the colony's independence from the home govern-
ment, but it in no way affected the relations already estab-
lished between the people and their chosen rulers. The boun-
daries as defined included New Haven Colony and a part of
Rhode Island, and were resisted by these two colonies; the
boundary line between Rhode Island and Connecticut being
a matter of dispute for sixty years. Two copies of the char-
ter were engrossed, — one on two and the other on three
skins of parchment; they were finally decorated in India
ink by the eminent painter Samuel Cooper, whose portrait of
Charles II. is a work of art. The first, on the two skins of
parchment, was enclosed in a mahogany box, and entrusted
by Winthrop to Simon Bradstreet and Mr. John Norton.
These gentlemen had been in London as agents for the Mas-
sachusetts colony, and were about to return in the ship So-
ciety, which had been built in Boston. The vessel arrived
at her destination on Sept. 3, 1662, a day before the opening
of the session of the United Colonies of New England. The
Connecticut representatives were Samuel Wyllys and John
Talcott, both of whom were named in the charter. The in-
strument was exhibited to the members of the New England
Congress, and was the first information to the colonists of
New Haven that the King had legislated them out of exis-
tence as a legal corporation. The precious document was
intrusted by Winthrop's messengers to the representatives
252
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
from Connecticutj and at the next meeting of the General
Court they, with Lieutenant John Allyn, were named as cus-
todians of the charter; Oct. 29, 1662, was appointed a day
of thanksgiving, to be observed by the colonists in celebra-
tion of the successful termination of Winthrop's mission.
The second copy was to have been received in the fall of
1662 and placed in the hands of the custodians; the sending
of the two copies by different ships was a precautionary
measure taken by Winthrop to insure its safe arrival.
The second copy, hov/ever, for some reason was never
sent, but left by Winthrop in London. The obtaining
of the charter made the General Assembly of Connecticut
more confident in asserting its claims: and notice was given
to the inhabitants of New Haven, Westchester, Mystic, and
Pawcatuck, that they were embraced within the limits of their
jurisdiction. The liberal terms of the charter, thus placing
Connecticut beyond the grasp of royal prerogative, defining
the rights of the colony and entitling its inhabitants to all
the privileges of Englishmen, attracted the border towns, and
deputations besieged the General Assembly asking and pray-
ing to be admitted as citizens.
Connecticut was to rest peacefully under her Royal Char-
ter for a quarter of a century, accumulating strength, popu-
lation, and wealth, which were later to be employed in re-
sisting attem.pts to dismember her territory, and despoil her
of that priceless boon which Winthrop had won.
CHAPTER XIV
The Union of Connecticut and New Haven
THE obtaining of the Royal Charter by Gover-
nor Winthrop was the cause of dissensions
among the New Haven colonists ; and it was
only by the diplomacy of Governor Leete that
the colony did not incur the displeasure of the
King, and that peace was maintained. Though the colonists
had done as little as possible consistent with loyalty, in con-
forming to his Majesty's orders, the majority of them had
done more than was pleasing to their independent spirit.
Becoming dissatisfied with the government of New Haven
Colony, a large number of the inhabitants of Southold, with
several of the people of Guilford, Stamford, and Green-
wich, tendered their persons and estates to the Colony of
Connecticut. After mature deliberation on the part of the
Connecticut colony, they were accepted and promised free-
dom and protection. During the year 1662 Commissioners
were appointed by the General Assembly of Connecticut to
visit New Haven, and to confer with its inhabitants for an
amicable union of the colonies under the Royal Charter.
This was bitterly opposed by Rev. John Davenport and oth-
ers, who insisted that New Haven had been recognized as
a distinct and separate government by her sister colonies, as
well as by the Protector and Charles II. ; that she had never
been heard on the subject of confederation with Connecticut,
and that if there had been any wish to unite the colonies, some
of the New Haven representatives would have at least been
named In the patent with the other patentees; while their ab-
sence was conclusive evidence that his Majesty did not in-
clude them within the limits of the charter. It was also
argued that it would be a violation of their oath, to consent
to a union and to maintain a commonwealth with all the priv-
ileges allowed by the Royal Charter. The matter was finally
257
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
left to the freemen; and after fully debating the subject
they voted that to accept the union would be contrary to
righteousness, amity, and peace, and that all proceedings
should be suspended until Governor Winthrop returned to
Connecticut. A committee was appointed to draw up an
answer to the Connecticut Assembly, which they embodied
in a long letter reiterating their objections and grievances,
and requesting the adoption of effectual measures to repair
the breach made, and to restore them to their former state
as a confederate and sister colony. Connecticut's reply to
this letter was the appointment of a committee, which in
1663 again visited New Haven; but their endeavors to con-
summate a union met with no better results than the pre-
vious attempt, owing partly to the fact that the inhabitants
were prejudiced by the hasty action of the Connecticut As-
sembly in admitting as citizens of their colony, dissatisfied
members of several towns under the jurisdiction of the colony
of New Haven.
The committee appointed by the freemen of New Haven
was also empowered to prepare an address to his Majesty,
asking his assistance and relief from the encroachments and
demands of the patentees under the Royal Charter. A mes-
senger was appointed to convey this petition to London ; and
on his arrival in that city. Governor Winthrop, still being in
England, explained to him the state of affairs between the
two colonies. Winthrop immediately became surety for the
Connecticut Colony that New Haven should suffer no further
annoyance ; he immediately notified the deputy governor and
Assembly of Connecticut to take no further action towards
the union until his return, when he hoped to arrange matters
to bring about the desired result by amicable adjustment. He
further stated that before he made application for the char-
258
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ter, he had assured the people of New Haven that in no way
would their interests be compromised by the step Connecticut
was taking. Relying on these promises made by Governor
Winthrop, New Haven's messenger did not present the pe-
tition to the King. Totally disregarding the wishes and in-
structions of Governor Winthrop, the chartered colony ap-
pointed a new committee to treat not only with New Haven,
but with Milford, Guilford, and Branford, upon terms of
union; and they were instructed, if amicable arrangements
could not be made, to read the charter publicly, proclaiming
to the people that Connecticut resented their attempted main-
tenance of a separate government within her borders, and
called upon them to surrender themselves to her jurisdic-
tion.
At the Congress of the United Colonies of New England
held at Boston in September 1663, the New Haven Commis-
sioners were received and seated, as acknowledged representa-
tives of an Independent colony. The colony of New Haven
through its accredited deputies presented a complaint against
Connecticut, ably defending Its case through Governor Leete
and Benjamin Fenn; a decree was passed that the distinct
colonial existence of New Haven should remain Inviolate,
that no encroachments should be made upon her jurisdictions,
and that her power should continue unimpaired as one of the
confederates, until such time as the Congress should will it
otherwise. This decree was obtained through the jealousy
of Massachusetts, aided by the appearance of Governor
Stuyvesant at Boston, Indignant at Connecticut's trying to ex-
tend her jurisdiction over Westchester and adjacent towns.
Decree or no decree, there was no stopping the demands of
Connecticut. At her General Assembly, held a month after
the adjournment of the Congress of United Colonies at Bos-
259
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ton, a committee was appointed to treat with inhabitants of
New Haven, Milford, Guilford, Stamford, and Branford,
who still persisted in maintaining a distinct government not
authorized by the Royal Charter. The General Court of
New Haven, in the same month, resolved to petition the
King for a bill of exemption from the government of Con-
necticut; and to carry out this object, levied a tax of £300,
and issued warrants on the personal estates of those who re-
fused to pay this tax. The moment the taxgatherers tried to
enforce this decree of the General Court, and attached the
property of those who refused to pay the expenses of the gov-
ernment, the recreants fled to Connecticut for protection and
were received with open arms. The collection of the tax
threatened civil war; and thus, deprived of the accustomed
revenue, the government became so short of funds that the
ordinary expenses could not be met.
A Special Court was convened by Governor Leete at New
Haven, Jan. 4, 1664, at which he stated the trouble that had
grown out of the order distraining taxes, and the earnestness
of the magistrates of Connecticut in calling upon the gov-
ernment of New Haven to refrain from the exercise of this
authority, which was in violation of the right of the citi-
zens of Connecticut. A new statement of the grievances of
New Haven was prepared by a committee consisting of Mr.
Davenport and Mr. Street. This paper, which was called
"The New Haven Case Stated," was written in Davenport's
best manner; but it failed to make any impression upon or
effect any change in the policy pursued by Connecticut. But
what arguments, petitions, speeches, and resolutions could
not accomplish, was finally brought about by a patent granted
by Charles II. to the Duke of York, which included the en-
tire territory of New Haven, besides a large part of Con-
260
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
necticut. The arrival of an armed force at Boston, and a call
upon New England for troops to reduce New Netherlands,
together with the threatened danger to all the colonies by this
British invasion, led the people of New Haven to unite with
Connecticut, to assist her in defending the liberties and boun-
daries named in the Royal Charter,
At a session of the General Court, held Aug. ii, 1664, it
was agreed that if Connecticut would in his Majesty's name
assert their claims to New Haven, and secure to them full im-
munities, they would make a united exertion for their char-
tered rights, and submit to the jurisdiction of Connecticut un-
til the next meeeting of the Commissioners of the United
Colonies.
The principal citizens of New Haven realized that it
was to their advantage to become incorporated with Con-
necticut; but the movement was strongly opposed by the
general public. At the assembling of the Court of Commis-
sioners of the United Colonies of New England, in spite of
the opposition of Connecticut, the New Haven representa-
tives were given their seats. The question of the union of the
colonies was considered; and the Congress decreed that
while they did not approve of Connecticut's manner of pre-
cedure, they recommended the amicable union of the two col-
onies, declaring that divine honor and the welfare of all the
colonists were greatly concerned in the event.
In compliance with this advice. Governor Leete convened a
general Court at New Haven, Sept. 14, 1664, and urged that
the union be consummated; stating as a reason that they
would be in better position to vindicate their liberty, and se-
cure their just rights, under a Royal Charter than in their
present circumstances. But he did not express the opinions
of a majority of the freemen. Many asserted "that to stand
261
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
as God had kept them to that time was their best way";
others held contrary opinions; and after the fullest discus-
sion no vote for a union could be obtained. This state of af-
fairs alarmed the General Assembly of Connecticut, not only
for her jurisdiction over New Haven Colony, but for her
original patent. The Duke of York threatened, notwith-
standing her loyalty, to dismember her territory; and the
Duke and Duchess of Hamilton were likewise prosecuting
their claims. In a spirit of generosity they voted the King's
Commissioners five hundred bushels of corn, and referred the
whole matter to them for adjustment. A committee was al-
so appointed to settle the disputed boundary lines between the
colony and the Duke of York, but was charged to relinquish
no lands included in their charter. The Commissioners on
Nov. 30, 1664, declared and ordered that hereafter the
southern boundary was the Sea, and also established the
other boundaries between New York, Massachsetts, and
Rhode Island. By this agreement Connecticut relinquished
all rights to lands in New York, Long Island, and Delaware.
The decision of the Commissioners put an end to the strug-
gle between the two colonies; and on Dec. 13, 1664, the free-
men of New Haven held their last General Court, and
adopted resolutions dissolving the colony of that name.
This act closes the history of New Haven Colony, which
tried during Its quarter-century of life, under as favorable
circumstances as are ever likely to be found, the experiment
of a purely religious commonwealth governed by the Word
of God and founded on pure aristocracy. It Is not perhaps
quite correct to say that it failed as an Internal government
within the original municipality: the majority of citizens of
New Haven were not less loyal or less satisfied than those of
Hartford. But it was entirely unfit to weld together scat-
262
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
tered towns into a state, and It had no elements of growth;
by its nature Its very progress was through the growth of the
elements of distlntegration. If the lesser towns had not joined
Connecticut, they would ultimately have joined New York,
or broken away and set up for themselves. And even in New
Haven, another generation would have seen the overthrow
of the system : the excluded were too little below the level
of the Included — often not at all below — to remain thus in
content, and the town flourished only at the expense of its
government.
263
CHAPTER XV
King Philip's War
ITH the danger from New York removed,
with the various communities in its bounds
united in one vigorous body, and with no
Indian problem of any magnitude to
trouble it, Connecticut grew and pros-
pered. Her vrilderness blossomed Avith the homes of her set-
tlers; and though religious differences disturbed her serenity,
no eventful question arose till Massachusetts and Rhode
Island were forced to solve their Indian problem in the
same way in which Connecticut had settled hers, and called on
her for aid.
Massasoit, Sachem of the Wampanoags, and faithful ally
of the Massachusetts colonies, died in 1662. The tribe orig-
inally inhabited the country between Cape Cod and the home
of the Narragansetts, comprising the southwestern part of
Massachusetts and the eastern portion of Rhode Island. By
gifts and sales to the whites, this extensive country had been
reduced to a small tract of land in the present town of Bristol,
Rhode Island. 7 he old chieftain was succeeded by his son
Alexander, who, seeing the Indian hunting grounds rapidly
depleted by the pioneer's axe, tried to form a combination
with the Narragansetts to resist the encroachments. The
Plymouth Colony authorities, hearing of this Intended league,
summoned Alexander to appear before them to answer
charges for instigating hostile designs against the whites. On
his journey to Plymouth, Alexander was taken suddenly ill
and died in a few hours. It is alleged that his sickness was
caused by a fever brought on by rage and mortification; but
his squaw WItamo, who accompanied him, circulated the re-
port that he was poisoned by the English. This suspicion
soured the mind of his brother Metacom (called by the Eng-
lish Philip), who succeeded him; and It was one of the Indi-
267
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
rect causes of the later Indian war. Philip continued plotting
against the whites, though he professed friendship and re-
newed treaties.
The execution of three of Philip's Indians by the Plymouth
Colony In June 1675, for the murder of John Sausaman, a
converted Indian Apostle whom Philip condemned as a
traitor, precipitated the war. It was the Intention of PhlUp
to combine all the Indian nations of New England In war-
fare against the whites ; and the preparations were not to be
perfected before 1676. The Inhabitants of New England
amounted to one hundred and twenty thousand whites, of
whom sixteen thousand were able to bear arms. It Is esti-
mated that the war strength of the Indians was ten thousand
warriors. Connecticut's prompt action In her own Indian
troubles had impressed upon her Red Men a lesson well re-
membered by the few remaining, and by outside tribes; and
while the war storm raged around her northern and eastern
boundaries, her territory was not Invaded. The authorities
of Massachusetts committed a fatal mistake In the early part
of the war, by selling into slavery the first Indian captives;
and this act deterred many of the savages from laying down
their arms.
At the first outbreak of the war, Connecticut nobly went to
the rescue of her sister colonies. Major Robert Treat with
one hundred men was despatched to western Massachusetts,
and was Instrumental In relieving the garrison and inhab-
itants at Northfield. Troops were ordered to her eastern
frontier, to protect the colony from invasion ; and In the con-
flict Connecticut received the assistance of her Mohegan and
Pequot allies, who remained loyal to the whites, and had at
least more to hope from them than from other Indians. The
savior of western Massachusetts was Major Treat, who with
268
KING PHILIP
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
his Connecticut contingent saved a portion of the Massachu-
setts troops from massacre at Bloody Brook, and turned a
defeat into victory, by his timely arrival with one hundred
Englishmen and seventy Mohegans. Of the army of one
thousand soldiers ordered raised by the New England Con-
gress, the Connecticut quota was three hundred and fifteen,
and Major Treat was placed second in command of the en-
tire army.
Dissatisfaction arose in Connecticut, In the winter of 1675-
6, because the Plymouth colony had failed to raise her pro-
portion of the troops. This was most severely felt, as the
total number was in any event inadequate and insufficient
to carry on the operations of the war successfully. The di-
rection of the military manoeuvres was vested in the Com-
missioners of the United Colonies, though Major Treat was
recognized as the chief commander of the forces in western
Massachusetts. The Commissioners seem to have exercised
such a degree of authority, that there was little if any inde-
pendent action by the commanding officers.
The success of the Indians at Northfield and Deerfield,
together with the solicitations of Philip, caused the Spring-
field Indians to desert their English allies, with whom they
had kept faith for forty years. They admitted three hun-
dred of Philip's warriors into their fort at Springfield; these
burned and destroyed the town, and massacre of its people
was only prevented by the arrival of Major Treat, who was
stationed with his army at Westfield. The General Assembly
of Connecticut, in recognition of this gallant service of Ma-
jor Treat, gave him a public expression of thanks, and ap-
pointed him commander-in-chief of all the troops to be raised
by the colony. He was summoned by the assembly to pro-
ceed to Norwich, it having been reported that a large body of
269
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Indians was approaching that town. This order was coun-
termanded, with the fortunate result that he and his forces
became instrumental in relieving Northampton and Hadley,
which, but for this aid, would have been sacrificed to the
enemy.
Active measures had been taken by the General Assembly
in 1675 ^o protect her border towns; and with this end in
view, each county was required to raise sixty dragoons, well
mounted, equipped, and provisioned, ready at any moment
to be called to the aid and defense of the colony. Troops
under Captains James Avery and John Mason, with Mo-
hegan and Pequot allies, were stationed on the eastern bor-
ders, as the persuasions of Philip had at last won the consent
of Nanuntenoo, the chief of the Narragansetts, to become
his confederate. The New England Congress raised an army
of one thousand men to combat this alliance, of which Con-
necticut furnished three hundred Englishmen and one hun-
dred and fifty Mohegans and Pequots as her quota; these
formed five companies under Captains Nathaniel Seeley, John
Gallop, John Mason, Jr., Thomas Watts, and Samuel Mar-
shall, the corps being commanded by Major Robert Treat.
On Dec. 18, 1675, Treat joined his forces with those from
Massachusetts and Plymouth, and the following day the
march was begun against the Narrangansetts, the Con-
necticut troops protecting the rear of the column. The In-
dians were intrenched In a swamp, in the rear of which was a
blockhouse defended by marksmen. The Connecticut troops
were repeatedly driven back with heavy losses In their at-
tempts to assault the fort. Captains Gallop, Seeley, and Mar-
shall were killed at the head of their companies, and Captain
Mason received a mortal wound. The Indians, after being
subjected to a cross-fire, were defeated; three hundred war-
270
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
riors were slain, and about the same number were taken pris-
oners, with three hundred women and children. The village
with all Its provisions, supplies, and stores was burned to the
ground. Of the army of one thousand whites, four hundred
were unfit for duty. Connecticut's troops suffered the great-
est percentage of the loss, as eighty of her soldiers were
killed or wounded; and Major Treat deemed it advisable
to return home to recruit his troops.
A large number of Connecticut volunteers, principally
from New London, Norwich, and Stonlngton, were formed
Into companies under Major Edward Palmer, Captains
George Denison, James Avery, and John Stanton, to prose-
cute the war against the Narragansetts. This was In the lat-
ter part of the winter of 1676; this force succeeded In cap-
turing Nanuntenoo, who was tried and sentenced to be shot.
The power of the Narragansetts was broken, the remnant of
the tribe was scattered and ceased to be a menace to the
peace of the whites.
At the election held In 1676, Robert Treat was elected
Deputy Governor. The next General Assembly voted to
raise a standing army of three hundred and fifty men ; Major
John Talcott was appointed chief commander of the forces.
King Philip, after the destruction of his Narragansett allies,
made overtures to the Mohawks for assistance; but to this
proposition they would not listen. The Connecticut troops
were assembled at Norwich, and at the commencement of
the summer season raided the Wabaquesset country, but the
enemy had fled. A march was then taken for the Connecti-
cut Valley In Massachusetts, and Talcott and his force ar-
rived just in time to save Hadley from being destroyed by
Philip's Indians. After spending three weeks In this section
of the country, Talcott marched his command through the
271
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Narragansett country, capturing and killing the remnants of
that tribe. Recruiting his men, he stationed his army at
Westfield, Mass., and fought a successful battle in what is
now the town of Stockbridge, on the western bank of the
Housatonic River. The death of King Philip on Aug. 12,
1676, put an end to the active prosecution of the war by the
Indians, though peace was not finally concluded until two
years later.
Connecticut, although kept in constant alarm during King
Philip's war, suffered no disastrous effects; but she gave
freely of her troops and resources to protect her sister col-
onies. Her disbursements amounted to over £22,000, and
she suffered the loss of a number of her citizens in the differ-
ent engagements. The devastation in Massachusetts and
Plymouth colonies was appalling. Twelve of their towns
were utterly destroyed, and more than half the remainder
had been laid waste by the torch and tomahawk. Six hun-
dred buildings, mostly dwellings, had been burned, and
about the same number of men killed, in addition to scores
of women and children.
King Philip, the last great New England Sachem, and the
last hero of the New England aborigines in their struggle
against the whites, has had a full meed of justice and
appreciation from his conquerors. His name is still a house-
hold word in New England, and his dogged courage and
leadership have given him a white man's position in our
memory. The dramatic crisis he forced on has gained him
immortality : if he looms larger in retrospect than his real
magnitude, less worthy men have had the same fortune.
272
CHAPTER XVI.
Indian Titles and Mohegan Land Troubles
THE early colonists of Connecticut deemed it
important to strengthen their land titles by
purchasing the territory from the aborigines,
which however with some writers seems not
to strengthen their equitable title. Before
1639 this was done by the proprietors, but after that time
all unoccupied lands became public domain, subject to the
control of the colony. Part of the land thus acquired was
given as pensions to those taking part in the war, the total
grant being some 2,500 acres. In thirty years the colony
gratuitously deeded 13,000 acres, in lots of forty to 1,500
acres, to its leading men; who, we may add, were not back-
ward in petitioning for these concessions. By the conquests
of the Pequots, the colony acquired all the lands belonging
to that nation, and reaped this additional benefit, that the ter-
ritory controlled by other tribes was opened to them by their
native owners, who were completely cowed by the English,
but also deeply grateful for their deliverance from the domi-
nation of the Pequots.
The sums paid to the Indians were small; but it must be
remembered that the country was wild and totally unim-
proved, and that in granting it for a mere pittance of that
merchandise which usually formed the purchase money, the
Red Man thought he was taking advantage of his white
brother. The natives parted with what was to them without
value, and acquired that which not only pleased their vanity
and catered to their desires, but enormously increased their
own capacities. It is claimed that there is not a single inch of
land within the limits of the Commonwealth, save the terri-
tory wrested from the Pequots, that was not bought of the
native proprietors. These purchases began with the first set-
tlements, and continued till about 1708.
275
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
The territory comprised within the limits of Saybrook, Old
Saybrook, Essex, and Chester was granted in an Indian
treaty made in 1636. The early records show no Indian con-
veyances of lands in Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield,
except the following: — The records of Windsor state that
Nassecowen was "so taken in love with the coming of the
English" that for some small matters, he gave them all his
possessions on the eastern side of the river. There is also un-
der date of April 25, 1636, a deed conveying to the English
a tract on the east side of the Connecticut, lying between Po-
dunk and Scantic rivers, and extending a day's march into
the country; the consideration named was twenty cloth coats
and fifteen fathoms of wampum. The earliest colonial rec-
ords have a brief notice, to the effect that the settlers of
Wethersfield made a satisfactory purchase of a tract six miles
in width and nine miles in length from the Sachem Sowheag.
The supposition is that the deed for Suckiug, which was the
Indian name for Hartford, was given to Samuel Stone and
William Goodwin, in behalf of the settlers, by the Indian
chief Sequassen, and included lands west to the Mohawk
country. The New Haven colonists purchased at different
times from the Red Men, the land that now comprises the
present area of that county.
Among the early laws of the colony was one prohibiting
the purchase of lands from the Indians without the sanction
of the General Court. This law, which was often violated,
was not promulgated for the purpose of protecting the In-
dians, but to establish the claim of the colony to all unbought
and unoccupied lands. Private sales and gifts were not un-
known at this period, but they were not as numerous as at
a later date.
In 1647 th^ Indians were forbidden to hire lands of the
276
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
English; and in 1663 it was enacted that private individuals
were to be indicted if they purchased lands of the Red Men.
These laws were necessary to protect the Indians from dis-
honest and rapacious whites; and indeed it was from unscru-
pulous private transactions that the complaint arises that the
Indians have been unfairly deprived of their lands.
In the year 1639 several land purchases were made by the
colonists. A company from Massachusetts, with a few set-
tlers from Wethersfield, secured in various transactions the
land now comprising the towns of Stratford, Bridgeport,
Trumbull, Huntington, and Monroe. Roger Ludlow, who
had become acquainted with the southern part of Connecticut
while officiating as one of the magistrates accompanying
Mason's troops during the Pequot War, interested others in
the territory, and bought of the Norwalk Indians a large
tract of land now forming the towns of Fairfield, Weston,
Easton, the greater part of Redding, and Westport.
In the following year Captain David Patrick, a veteran of
the Pequot War, purchased two islands at the mouth of the
Norwalk River, and a tract of land to the west of that
stream, which now comprises the towns of Norwalk, New
Canaan, Wilton, and a part of Westport.
Planters from New Haven had purchased lands in Mil-
ford, and what are now Stamford and Darien, while the
Dutch were in possession of Greenwich. The territory be-
tween the Hammonassett and East Rivers was bought of
Uncas, being the marriage portion of one of his wives. Thus
within a decade of their coming to Connecticut, the white set-
tlers had secured the control of its entire sea-coast, either by
purchase, conquest, or treaty.
In 1640, eighty-four enterprising planters of Hartford
bought of the Tunxis Indians a large tract of land to the west
277
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
of that settlement. A final agreement was made some ten
years later, In which mention Is made of the purchase In
1640, and also a former one In 1636. In the last article, the
Indians acknowledged that on account of the protection and
trade of the English, they were better off than when the
whole country was at their disposal; that they could hire
land of the white man, and obtain better results than when
they formerly occupied it free. This tract Included the
southwestern part of the present county of Hartford.
From 1656 to 1701, various purchases were made In the
Housatonic and Naugatuck valleys; the latter purchases
from the natives were in the western part of the Common-
wealth, a tract being bought In what Is now Danbury In 1684,
and another In RIdgefield in 1708.
Along the Connecticut River, numerous purchases were
made. A committee appointed by the General Court re-
ported In 1650, that the lands In the present northern part of
Middlesex County were capable of supporting fifteen fam-
ilies; but though a settlement was effected, there is no rec-
ord of any purchase, save that a portion of the territory had
been deeded as a gift to Governor Haynes from Sowheag.
A Poquonnoc Sachem in 1666 sold to the town of Windsor
about 28,000 acres; a few years later, this same chief In
connection with others disposed of a tract six miles east of
the river, and as far west as the General Assembly had estab-
lished the boundaries of the town of MIddletown. This
formed the remainder of the lands owned by the natives in
the present towns of Chatham, MIddletown, Cromwell, and
Portland. In 1662, titles were obtained from the Indians for
land forming the site of Chester, Haddam, and East Had-
dam; and In 1673 the Wethersfield settlers obtained a deed
of about thirty square miles on the opposite bank of the river.
278
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
After the overthrow of the Pequots, Uncas claimed what
is now the northern part of New London and southern part
of Tolland and Windham Counties. In 1659 he deeded to a
company of thirty-five proprietors the famous Norwich tract,
to obtain the necessary funds to equip his followers with the
sinews of war against his enemy the Narragansetts. This
deed covered nine square miles, and Governor Winthrop in
the same year, with the permission of the General Court, pur-
chased of the native proprietors lands at Quinebaug.
In October 1640, an agreement was drawn up and signed
between Uncas and the colony of Connecticut. While it was
ambiguous, it stated that Uncas parted with his whole coun-
try, excepting the planting grounds of the Mohegans, for a
consideration of five yards of cloth and a few pair of stock-
ings. The sale of the Norwich tract was made with the con-
sent of Major John Mason, who was the Mohegans' chief
adviser. The same year Uncas and his brother Wawequa, in
the presence of witnesses, deeded the rest of the lands to
Mason, his heirs and assigns forever. Mason was at this
time a Magistrate; the following year he became Deputy
Governor, and surrendered all jurisdiction over the lands to
the colony, reserving for himself the right to sufficient land
for a farm, and to lay out the settlements to be made on the
tract. L^ncas during this time was selling and granting lands
with a prodigal hand. The New London and Norwich rec-
ords abound with deeds conveying large tracts to various
individuals, many of them without monetary consideration,
but naming as acknowledgments love and affection ; the same
property was deeded over and over again to different parties.
That Mason was considered the guardian of the Indians, by
themselves and by the colonial authorities, is amply illus-
trated.
279
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
In 1 66 1, and also in 1665, Uncas and his sons Oweneco
and Attawanhood confirmed the grant originally made by
Uncas and his brother in 1659. The death of Attawanhood
occurred in 1676; his bequest to white settlers included whole
townships in Windham County, and he directed his followers
to leave the territory. The death of Uncas occurred in
either 1682 or 1683, and during his life the English never
urged their claim.
The colonial authorities affirmed that Uncas's agreement
of 1640 was a true deed of purchase and sale; while the
Indians and their supporters declared that it was a mere right
of pre-emption, by which Uncas agreed to part with no land
other than to the colony or its settlers. In the disputes that
arose. Mason's transfer was claimed to be only a trustee-
ship to protect the Indians from the unscrupulous extortion
of their property for an insignificant compensation. This was
the opinion sustained by Mason's descendants; Connecticut
on the other hand maintained that Mason was a commis-
sioned agent of the colony, and that the object of obtaining
the deed was to eliminate whatever remaining titles to the
lands might be possessed by the Mohegans.
A year prior to Mason's death, he executed a deed making
over to the Mohegans a large tract of land, to be inalienably
entailed from grant or sale. If Mason held the property
by a trusteeship, by what right could he deed back only a part
of the trust? while if he was an agent for the colony, he had
no power to execute such a transfer. These lands became
known as the "Sequestered Lands," and after Mason's death
became subject to encroachment by the whites; until Uncas
became alarmed and applied to the General Assembly to es-
tablish the boundaries between the Mohegans' possessions
and the town of Norwich, that they might be recorded.
280
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
This the General Assembly directed the people of New
London County to do, after exacting an agreement from
Uncas. By this compact he promised to make amends for
any injuries done by his people, and to dispose of no lands
without the consent of the colonial authorities; confirmed all
previous grants; and gave the General Assembly the right
to redivide and regrant all lands, and to take such com-
pensation therefore as they deemed adequate. He promised
to do no evil against the colonies, and to be advised by the
General Assembly in making peace or war, and in contract-
ing alliances and leagues; he bound himself to be a faithful
^lly of the colony, and furnish warriors to fight its battles.
On their part, the Assembly promised to protect his people
then and forever, and if they faithfully kept their agreement,
satisfaction was to be granted for any wrong done by the
English; the Mohegans were to have a just price for all
lands taken, and were allowed sufficient on which to obtain a
livelihood; in case of war they were to receive advice and
ammunition from the colonists. In this agreement there was
no mention of Mason's entailment by either party. The land
•claimed by the Mohegans was a tract of thirty-two square
miles on which they resided, between New London and Nor-
wich; another district of about eighteen square miles
stretched along the northern boundary of Lyme to the Con-
necticut River; the third was known as the Mohegan Hunt-
ing Grounds, lying to the west of Norwich and Lebanon;
besides these were other small tracts of considerable extent,
chiefly in Windham County.
Uncas was succeeded by his eldest son Oweneco, who
trusteed the lands to several parties, but in 1689 made a con-
firmation of the trust to Daniel Mason, son of Major John.
Oweneco at various times disposed of land by grants and
281
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
sales; and while In a state of intoxication, sold nearly all"
of the Mohegan Hunting Grounds, now Colchester, for the
paltry sum of five or six shillings. For redress against these
land transactions, the Mohegans petitioned the General As-
sembly without success, and a memorial citing their wrongs
was presented to Queen Anne. For the trial of the case a
royal commission composed of twelve members was appoint-
ed by her IMajesty, at the head of which was Joseph Dudley,
Governor of Massachusetts. The Commissioners were em-
powered to restore the lands to the Mohegans if they had
been unjustly taken by the colony, but from their decision an
appeal could be taken to the Crown. The court was held at
Stonington; and the authorities of Connecticut, being sum-
moned, refused to appear if the court's decision was to be
final, as it was contrary to their charter. The subjects of the
colony were forbidden to appear before the court or to ac-
knowledge its authority ; thus, no defendants appearing, the
plaintiffs had the pleading all to themselves.
A survey had been taken which showed that the northern
two-thirds of New London County, and the southern two-
thirds of Windham and Tolland Counties, aggregating about
eight hundred square miles, was the extent of the original
Mohegan country. A comparison was made with the small
allowance now remaining in possession of the tribe. There
was no claim that the original tract should be restored, but
only that portion which remained when the last treaty was
made in 1680, between Uncas and the colony. In a little
over a score of years the Mohegans had been deprived of
about forty square miles of country, without receiving a dol-
lar of compensation. Grants to their territory had been
made by Oweneco and by the colony, but none had received
the concurrence of Daniel Mason, the Mohegan's legal trus-
282
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
tee. The decision of the royal commission was that the col-
ony of Connecticut should replace the Mohegans in posses-
sion of all the lands they had at the time of Uncas' death:
this embraced three tracts, one lying between New London
and Norwich, one in the northern bounds of Lyme, and one
comprising the entire town of Colchester. In reference to
other claims, including territory in Windham County, the
commissioners prohibited English subjects from entering on
or improving it until a further hearing and decision should
be made. At the request of Oweneco, John Mason, a grand-
son of Major John Mason, was appointed guardian of the
Mohegans to manage all their affairs. The costs of the com-
mission, amounting to £573 12s. 8d. were filed against the
Colony of Connecticut; from this decision Connecticut took
an appeal, and on Feb. 15, 1706, the Queen granted a com-
mission of review.
The guardian of the Mohegans, owing to several years'
illness, was unable to attend to business; and the government
of Connecticut having little interest in prosecuting the affair,
the commission never sat. The Assembly appointed a com-
mittee to treat with Oweneco, but his demands were so un-
reasonable that they were rejected by the governor. Mason
became involved in difficulties — partly by Oweneco deeding
lands without compensation or authority, and by his own
carelessness in selling the same tract to different parties — and
resigned his guardianship in 171 1 to William Pitkin and
five others. The colony granted lands valued at £1,000 to
these new trustees to settle with the different claimants.
The liberal distribution of land by Oweneco raised oppo-
sition amongst his own people; in May 17 14 Ben Uncas, an
illegitimate son of Uncas, and fifty-four Mohegans, conveyed
283
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the remaining lands to Gurdon Saltonstall, John Mason,
Joseph Stanton, William Whiting, and John Elliott.
Oweneco's death occurred in 1715, and he was succeeded
by his son Caesar; and as the land disputes still continued, the
General Assembly appointed a committee, consisting of
James Wadsworth and John Hall, to settle the complaints of
the Indians and to remove all persons from lands held by no
legal title. This committee met at Mohegan in the same
year, and nearly all of the English claims were allowed; Col-
chester was assigned the Hunting Grounds, and the Indian
deeds for the tract in Lyme and three-quarters of the "Se-
questered Lands" were declared legal. The remainder, con-
sisting of four or five thousand acres, was entailed to the Mo-
hegans as long as one existed. This action of the commit-
tee was ratified by the authorities of Connecticut.
The death of Caesar occurred in 1723 ; and instead of be-
ing succeeded by Mahomet, the rightful heir, according to
English notions, the grand council of the nation selected Ma-
jor Ben Uncas as Sachem, which choice was confirmed by an
act of the Assembly. The old controversy regarding the
Mohegan lands, which was supposed to have been settled in
1721, was revived; Mason became responsible for a large
portion of the cost of the royal commission in the belief that
their decision was final, and that the Mohegans would be
restored to their lands. The colony refused to reimburse
him, but consented to his residing with the Indians, as they
had already chosen him and his heirs their perpetual guar-
dians. Mason petitioned the General Assembly in 1725 for
a settlement, and a committee was appointed ; they objected
to the bill of costs, and claimed the colony had made ample
restitution in the past.
The old Sachem died in 1726, and his son, also named Ben
284
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Uncas, was selected to succeed him. His election was sanc-
tioned by the Assembly, who appointed John Hall and James
Wadsworth guardians of the Mohegans.
It was on the 4th of June, 1738, that another royal com-
mission of review convened at Norwich by the authority of
George 11. There had been factions generated amongst the
Mohegans; the minority of the tribe were in favor of Ben
Uncas as Sachem, who was steadfast in his loyalty to Con-
necticut; while the majority favored a cousin of Ben, named
John Uncas, and wished to continue under the guardianship
of John and Samuel Mason, sons of Captain John Mason
who had died in England, basing their claims on the deed
making the office perpetual to their fatherand his descendants.
The commissioners were Gov. John Wanton, John Chlpman,
Peter Bours, William Anthony, James Arnold, Philip Ar-
nold, and Rowso Helme of Rhode Island, and Philip Cort-
landt and Daniel Horsmanden of New York. On the or-
ganization of the commission, Philip Cortlandt was elected
president. The first important question that came before the
board was to decide who was the legal Sachem of the Mo-
hegans. The Mason party had retained able counsel, but the
governor and counsel of Connecticut was determined to up-
hold the claim of Ben Uncas; the Rhode Island Commis-
sioners were inclined to favor their sister colony, and when
the attorneys representing Mason's interests proposed that
all the Mohegans should testify as to their legal chief, a ma-
jority of the commissioners decided against it. From this
decision Horsmanden openly dissented. The following day
Mason's attorneys moved that the Mohegan testimony be
taken first for Ben Uncas, and afterwards for John Uncas;
this the Rhode Island commissioners refused, and Hors-
manden again dissented. The commissioners decided Ben
285
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Uncas to be the rightful Sachem of the Mohegans; and
Horsmanden, still dissenting, was joined by his colleague
from New York. TKe case now developed into a singular
position : Ben Uncas, the legal acknowledged Sachem, had
no cause of action against the colony, and therefore as plain-
tiff dismissed Mason's attorneys, and chose three Connecticut
lawyers as his advocates. The motion was made that Sam-
uel Mason be recognized as guardian of the tribe; this was
met with refusal on the part of the commissioners, and again
Horsmanden registered his dissent. As a last attempt for
recognition, Mason's attorneys suggested that the Mohegans
be allowed to choose their own advocates; the commissioners
overruled this motion, and the attorneys retired from the
case. The New York Commissioners recorded their disap-
proval of this act and withdrew from the commission, claim-
ing the defense of Connecticut to be unfair and collusive.
The commission reorganized with Governor John Wanton
as president, and after hearing the testimony of the defen-
dants, repealed the decisions of the royal commission of
1705; they based their decree on the Uncas deed of 1640,
the terms of the Royal Charter, the quitclaims and conveyance
obtained from the Mohegan Sachems by individual proprie-
tors, the fact that the Mohegans were still in possession of a
fertile tract of four or five thousand acres, and the general
releases to the colony freeing it from all charges, signed in
1737-38 by Ben Uncas and a number of the Mohegans. A
majority of the Mohegans, being dissatisfied with the de-
cision of the commissioners, petitioned John and Samuel Ma-
son to present an appeal to the Crown. A memorial was
drawn up stating their grievances; and, accompanied by a
report from Cortlandt and Horsmanden of the Irregular pro-
ceedings of the commission, was forwarded to England. The
286
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Lord Justice set aside the verdict and granted a new com-
mission, from which there could be an appeal to the King's
Privy Council, which was to be final.
On July 1743, commissioners from New York and New
Jersey held their first meeting at Norwich. The New York
members were Philip Cortlandt, Daniel Horsmanden, and
Cadwallader Colden ; and those from New Jersey were
Lewis Morris and John Rodman. There were four parties
interested in the case: the Mohegans who recognized John
Uncas as Sachem, those that favored Ben Uncas, the colony
of Connecticut, and the holders of the disputed territory.
The sheriff was authorized to poll the Mohegans individu-
ally, and ascertain whom they considered their rightful
Sachem ; he questioned ninety-nine of the tribe, and seventy-
seven declared for John Uncas. The counsel for the colony,
in presenting the case, stated that the Mohegans were not an
independent people, as the English had rescued them from
the domination of the Pequots; that they had no territory,
as all claim to such was abolished by the Uncas deed of 1640;
that this grant was strengthened by the conveyance in 1659
to Mason, who was an official of, and acted as agent for, the
colony; that the lands had been twice bought by the colony,
and that the Indians had been satisfied until they were incited
to enforce claims by selfish and designing men ; that the
disputed territory had been held by its present possessors
many years, and ejecting them would cause suffering to over
five hundred persons. The colony protested against John
and Samuel Mason as guardians of the Mohegans, and de-
nied the authority of the commissioners to extend any further
the lands reserved by the Sachems.
The counsel for the plaintiffs denied that the Mohegans
had ever sold the lands, claiming they had only executed a
287
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
deed of trust to Major John Mason to protect themselves
from the colony; that Mason had reconveyed the greater
part to the tribe, and transferred his guardianship to his
descendants. The commission was in session seventeen days,
and Colden, Rodman, and Cortlandt delivered a decision in
favor of the colony, on the belief that if the colonial gov-
ernment had not interfered, the Indians would have had
no territory left, while they now had about five thousand
acres, with which they should be content. Morris differed
in his opinion, as he considered Lncas' deed merely a pre-
emption right to the lands, to exclude other English and
the Dutch, and that the surrender of the territory by Mason
to the colony was to enable it to exercise its powers of juris-
diction. The implacable foe of Connecticut, Horsmanden,
pronounced the deed of Uncas to be a forgery; and that
even if if genuine, subsequent transactions rendered it null
and void. The commission adjourned to meet again Nov.
5, 1743 ; on the appointed day the three commissioners, con-
stituting a majority, confirmed their original decision and re-
voked the decree of the Commission of 1705, except that the
"Sequestered Lands" were reserved for the Mohegans.
An appeal was taken to the King's Privy Council by the
attorney on behalf of the Mohegans, and the cause was tried
and settled in England by the Lords Commissioners, who
decided in fav^or of the colony.
The litigation over the Mohegan lands, a scource of con-
tention for almost a century, was thus finally settled; and
Connecticut was sustained in possession of the territory, of
which enemies within and without her borders had attempted
to despoil her, to their own enrichment. Other reservations
were allotted to the Indians at different times by the State;
but the Red Men gradually became extinct, sav-e for some
288
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
offspring of white intermixture, until there is not at the
present time a pure-blooded Indian within its boundaries, al-
though the United States census of Connecticut for 1900
gives one hundred and forty-three Indians.
289
CHAPTER XVII
The Organization of Towns and Counties
IN Connecticut the town was the unit of civil organiza-
tions, legally speaking; this was a quasi-corporation,
and since the primitive English "tuns" there had
been no such examples of self-government. The au-
tocratic constable was the preserver of public peace,
the collector of taxes, and, as notifier of the meetings of the
General Court, was the connecting link between the Common-
wealth and the towns. Religion was the vital part of exis-
tence to the Connecticut settlers, and it permeated their daily
life. This is evidenced by the fact that every division or
dispute on religion gave rise to the settlement of a new
town.
The migrations of the planters to the river settlements
were a continuance of three fully organized Massachusetts
towns, thus differing from New Haven, which was estab-
lished on an original basis. The Commonwealth became
the product of its town system ; but by the obtainment of the
Royal Charter, Connecticut acquired an independent and
legal status superior to the towns. This is noticed in her
acts addressed to the towns previous to obtaining the Royal
Charter; these were formally put in the nature of recom-
mendations, but afterwards there was an evident assumption
of power, and an assertion of the interests of the Common-
wealth.
During the decade between 1629 and 1639, about 20,000
Puritans had left the old country for New England; but the
tide of emigration to Connecticut after the formation of the
parent settlements almost ceased. The reason for this was
that reports, emanating from Massachusetts, were scattered
broadcast, to the effect that the settlers' cattle were dying
from starvation because the uplands would produce no corn;
and that Mr. Thomas Hooker was dubious over the perma-
293
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
nency of the settlements. Despite the jealousy of her sister
colony, Connecticut, owing to the fertility of her meadows
and the democracy of her government, maintained a sub-
stantial growth, and in 1637 she numbered from six to eight
hundred souls.
The General Court in 1639, by a general act, incorporated
all the plantations as towns, authorizing them to manage
their internal affairs. While this was only a recognition of
existing rights, it was highly important, as It established a lo-
cal tribunal and defined the limits of the towns' jurisdiction.
The town tribunal was to consist of not less than three or
more than seven members, elected by the people. These were
called "principal men," and afterwards became known as
"selectmen" ; their presiding officer received the title of Mod-
erator, and was only to have a casting vote. The body was
to constitute a municipal court, and to hold session once In
two months. There was also established a system of town rec-
ords; and real-estate owners were required, under heavy
penalties, to lodge a description of their properties for regis-
tration, and all Incumbrances on the same were of no legal
value unless recorded. There were adopted measures in ref-
erence to probating wills, and appraising and administering
the estates of the deceased.
The year 1639 was propitious for the settlement of new
towns. About ten families under the leadership of Thomas
Fairfield came from Roxbury and Concord, Massachusetts,
and settled at a place called by the Indians Cupheag, which
means literally "a place shut In"; the English gave It the
name of Stratford, In honor of the thriving town of that
name situated a few miles from London. The plantation of
Fairfield, whose Indian name was Unoquwa, or Uncoway, —
"beyond" the Pequonnoc — was settled by eight or ten fam-
294
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
llles from Windsor, joined by parties from Watertown and
Concord, Massachusetts; it received its present name in
1645. About forty planters from New Haven Colony re-
moved to Menunkatuck, which in the Indian language was
the name of a white fish used for fertilizing; the plantation
in 1643 was named Guilford, for a town of the same name on
the border of Sussex and Kent counties in England, from
which one of the pillars of their church had emigrated.
Some two hundred English emigrants from Essex, Here-
ford, and York counties, with settlers from Wethersfield, es-
tablished a plantation at Wepowage ("crossing place"),
which they purchased of the New Haven Colony. It was
an independent settlement for the first few years of its ex-
istence, and was renamed Milford on account of the first
mill being erected near a ford.
Citizens of Hartford were attracted to the alluvial
meadows on the banks of the Tunxis (now Farmington Riv-
er), and as early as 1640 commenced a settlement about ten
miles west of that town, which was incorporated in 1645
under the name of Farmington, as representing outlying
farms.
The settlers of Wethersfield were from the first involved
in civil and ecclesiastical difficulties. In 1641 the advice of
Mr. Davenport and other gentlemen from New Haven was
sought, to regulate church troubles; they induced about
twenty planters and their families to place themselves under
the jurisdiction of New Haven Colony. The party settled
on the Rippowam tract, which had been purchased by the
New Haven Colony from the Indians; its present name of
Stamford was given it in 1641, from an ancient market and
parliamentary borough on the Welland River in Lincoln-
shire.
295
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
The territory west of Stamford had been purchased In the
interest of the New Haven Colony, and was first settled in
1640; but the purchasers violated their agreement and
placed themselves under the government of New Nether-
lands. They continued under this jurisdiction till 1662, when
they became a part of the Commonwealth of Connecticut;
the plantation was named Greenwich after the pleasure re-
sort near London, now the seat of the famous Observatory.
Wethersfield, on account of the various migrations caused
by dissatisfied spirits and want of congeniality amongst her
early settlers, has been called the mother of towns. The
New Haven Colony had purchased east of its boundaries an
Indian tract named Totoket, denoting meadows on a great
tidal river; it had been conveyed in 1640 to Samuel Eaton,
who failed to comply with the stipulations of the grant; and
a party of settlers from Wethersfield, in connection with a
portion of Mr. Abraham Plerson's congregation from South
Hampton, Long Island, effected in 1644 a settlement on the
territory, and placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the
New Haven Colony. It was called Branford, the current
pronunciation of the London suburb Brentford, situated on
both sides of the Brent River at its confluence with the
Thames.
The founding of New London by John Winthrop, Jr., and
others, was begun In the spring of 1646, under the auspices
of the General Court of Massachusetts. Winthrop in
the government of the settlement was associated with Mr.
Thomas Peters, a brother of the celebrated Hugh Peters.
This gentleman embarked for England In the fall of 1646,
and never returned to America. The Winthrop brothers,
John and Dean, passed the winter of that year on Fisher's
Island; but In the spring of 1647 John Winthrop built a
296
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
house on the mainland, and removed his family from Boston
to the settlement. By a decision of the New England Con-
gress the territory was placed under the jurisdiction of Con-
necticut, and the General Court commissioned Winthrop to
administer justice according to the laws of that colony. The
Indian name of the settlement was Nameaug or Namlock,
"fishing place"; the General Court recommended that the
name of Fair Hav^en be given to the settlement; but Win-
throp and his associates, realizing that while many of the
cities and towns of England had been commemorated by ap-
plying their names to locations in the New World, the me-
tropolis had been neglected, decided that the infant prototype
should be called New London, and to maintain the similitude
the river was renamed the Thames.
It having been decreed by the General Court that a settle-
ment should be made at Mattabesett, which in the Indian
language denoted a place at a great rivulet or brook, a num-
ber of planters from Hartford and Wethersfield, who were
afterwards joined by parties from England and Massachu-
setts, settled on the tract in 1646. It was incorporated in
165 I, and two years afterwards its name was changed to
Middletown.
x\s early as 1640 purchases had been made from the In-
dians of territory west of Fairfield, but in 1649 there were
only a few scattering settlers, amounting to about twenty
families. The settlement was given town privileges in 165 i,
and was named Norwalk.
A company of thirty-five planters was formed at Say-
brook, and in the winter of 1659 temporary huts were erected
on a tract of land they had purchased at the head waters of
the Thames River; it was incorporated under the name of
Norwich, in honor of the shire town of the county of Nor-
297
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
folk in England. The country lying between the Mystic
and Pawcatuck Rivers had been settled as early as 1649; in
1658 the commissioners of the United Colonies of New Eng-
land had placed the territory under the jurisdiction of Mas-
sachusetts, and a town by the name of Southerton had been
organized by that colony; it came under the government of
Connecticut under the Royal Charter, and its name was
changed to Stonington.
In May 1666 the General Assembly, to simplify the civic
organization of the Commonwealth, erected the territory
within its boundaries into four counties. The towns on the
Connecticut River from Windsor on the north to the Thirty
Mile Island, together v/ith Farmington, were to be included
in what v/as known as Hartford County. The lands from
the east bounds of Guilford unto the west bounds of Milford
were named New Haven County. The country from the east-
ern limits of Stratford to the western boundary of the colony
received the name of Fairfield County ; and the tract between
the Pawcatuck and Hammonassett Rivers, with Norwich,
was to constitute a county to be called New London. In the
establishment of these counties the general government gave
them, each for the support of a grammar school, six hun-
dred acres of land.
In 1663 twelve families who had emigrated from Hart-
ford, Windsor, and Guilford, located on the Indian tract
called Hammonassett. These were joined by sixteen other
families, and the General Assembly in 1667 named the town
they had incorporated Killingworth, a variant of the his-
torical name of Kenilworth, the birthplace of one of the early
proprietors of the town. The fertile valley of the Connecti-
cut River between Middletown and Saybrook had also at-
tracted the eyes of settlers; and a settlement known as East
298
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Saybrook had been made on the river opposite to Saybrook
in 1664. Three years later it was granted the privileges of
a town under the name of Lyme, from a small seaport in
Dorsetshire.
Settlers from the upper river towns, in 1662, removed to
lands on both banks at the point known as Thirty Mile
Island, being that distance from the mouth of the river. The
plantation grew rapidly, and became a town in 1667 under
the name of Haddam, presum.ably from Great Hadham in
England, where was the family estate of Governor John
Haynes.
In 1670 there were two additions to the towns of Con-
necticut; New Haven village was incorporated and given the
name of Wallingford, from a small parliamentary borough
in Berkshire; a portion of Windsor was created a township
named Simsbury. Ecclesiastical dispute was again in the
history of Connecticut to cause the migration of a portion of
her people through the trackless wilderness, to establish a
settlement in her uninhabited confines. The General Assem-
bly had for half a score of years been agitated by religious
divisions in Stratford ; to these people came Governor Win-
throp as a peacemaker, who, to terminate the differences, pro-
posed that one of the contending parties should seek an
asylum elsewhere, and promised his influence to procure a
grant of land, and the privileges of an incorporated town.
In the spring of 1673, fifteen planters with their families
travelled north from Stratford, and after many days of mis-
haps purchased from the Indians an extensive tract fifteen
miles in width, now comprising Woodbury, Washington,
Bethlehem, Roxbury, and a part of Oxford and Middlebury.
These lands were incorporated in 1674 under the name of
Woodbury.
299
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
There had been several attempts to estabhsh a town on the
banks of the Naugatuck River; these had been bitterly op-
posed by the people of Milford, but in 1675 there were
twelve families residing on the territory. They were ex-
pecting additional parties to join them, and had provided a
permanent house of worship; at their request the General
Assembly made them into a township to be called Derby,
from the shire town of Derbyshire. A number of citizens of
Farmington recommended to the General Assembly that the
territory to the west of them was fertile enough to maintain
a plantation; the legislature appointed a committee, who
reported in 1674 that Mattatuck, which in the Indian
language meant "badly wooded," could accommodate thirty
families. The original number of proprietors was less than
thirty, and in 1686 they were invested with corporate privi-
leges; the aboriginal name being changed to Waterbury.
The portion of Wethersfield east of the Connecticut River
was in 1690 created a separate township under the name of
Glastonbury, from a small market-town in the county of
Somerset. Two years afterwards Windham was incorpo-
rated; among its early settlers were descendants of the Ripley
family, whose forefathers had emigrated from Hingham,
England, and located in the town of the same name in Mas-
sachusetts Bay Colony. The largest place in the vicinity of
Hingham, England, was Wymondham on the eastern coast;
from this the town derived its name.
The settlement of the region east of Norwich was re-
tarded by King Philip's War; but in 1686 the General As-
sembly granted parties the privilege of forming a plantation,
which the following year was named Preston, from an im-
portant manufacturing town in Lancashire. The colonial
records do not show the date of its organization as a town,
300
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
but it was first represented in the General Assembly in 1693.
The organization of the town of Lebanon took place in
1700, and it was the first township in Connecticut to receive
a Biblical name.
Connecticut at the opening of the eighteenth century
showed its vitality, despite its poverty, by the steady increase
of its towns. Its political divisions consisted of four coun-
ties and thirty towns; settlements had diverged to every
point of the compass, from her primitive centers to the very
limits of her confines. The population of the Commonwealth
was estimated to be about fifteen thousand souls, and her set-
tlers had deserted the log cabins of their ancestors for sub-
stantial dwellings of wood, stone, and brick. The property
of the colony was estimated for taxing purposes at nearly
£200,000 sterling; the number of males over sixteen years
of age was approximately 3,800. The increase in organized
towns was due to speculators and land companies, who with
the consent of the General Assembly purchased the territory
of the Indians and subdivided it into smaller allotments.
A tract of land had been purchased on both sides of the
Quinebaug (Long Pond) River by Governor Winthrop,
which was sparsely settled at the time of his death. The
original tracts were of great extent, and when outlying dis-
tricts came to be settled, the distance from the church required
another division and thereby established a new town. A
number of farmers of Massachusetts purchased from his
heirs the northern portions of the grant, and began to plant
and build upon It. The settlement gradually increased In
population, and In 1699 an attempt was made to organize a
town; the next year It was named Plainfield, from the pe-
culiarities of Its landscape. The organization of the town
was delayed, owing to land and religious difficulties, but In
301
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
1706 all troubles were finally settled. Two years later Plain-
field was represented in the General Assembly. Three years
previous to this, the country on the west bank of the Quine-
baug was formed into a township and named Canterbury, in
honor of the cathedral city in southern England.
On the western boundaries of the Commonwealth, a num-
ber of planters from Norwalk had settled on a tract known
to the Indians as Paquiage, which denoted open land; this
tract was surveyed eight years afterwards, received town
privileges in 1702, and was named Danbury from an Eng-
lish village situated a few miles from the shire town of Essex
County.
In 1698 the General Assembly enacted that a new planta-
tion be established at Jeremy's Farm; settlement commenced
soon afterwards, and five years later the planters were con-
firmed in their patent; the town was named Colchester. That
part of New London lying on the east bank of the Thames
River was in 1705 created a township, and given the name
of Groton. The selection of the names for these two towns
may be attributed to the fact that they were organized dur-
ing the administration of Fitz John Winthrop as governor;
Groton, England, was the birthplace of the elder Winthrop,
and the nearest important town to it was Colchester. The In-
dian tract Nawbcstuck ("pond-land"), which had been a
part of Windham, was incorporated under the name of Mans-
field, in honor of Major Moses Mansfield, one of its early
settlers. Planters from Windsor, Saybrook, Long Island,
and Northampton (Massachusetts), had settled in the region
east of Cjlastonbury, and in 1707 the General Assembly en-
acted that it be given town privileges and be called Hebron,
the name being derived from one of the oldest cities of
Palestine.
302
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Ever since the beginning of the century settlements had
been made on the eastern borders of the colony. In 1708 a
township was erected and named Killingly, from a Yorkshire
manor of that appellation owned by the Saltonstall family.
The country north of Guilford known to the Indians
as Coginchaug ("Long Swamp") was supposed to be
the property of the adjoining towns; surveys developed the
fact that it v/as unassigned territory, and in 1708 it was en-
dowed v/ith town privileges under the name of Durham,
from the ancient episcopal city in the northern part of Eng-
land, the original home of the Wadsworth family, whose de-
scendants were prominently identified with the early history
of Connecticut.
The citizens of Norwalk in 1708 purchased land on the
western border of the colony, and the following year it was
incorporated under the name of Ridgefield, on account of its
physical features. A tract of land lying north of Lebanon
and west of Mansfield, granted to legatees by a Sachem of
the Mohegans, had been settled by planters from Hartford
and Northampton; at the October session of the General As-
sembly in 17 1 1 it was incorporated as a town, under the name
of Coventry. Warwickshire, its namesake of historic fame,
is situated on a gentle eminence in a valley, with a ridge of
hills at the south, and the similarity of the landscape may
have suggested the name to the early proprietors. The same
session of the legislature incorporated the town of Newtown.
The following year planters from Milford purchased of the
colony a tract of land called Weantlnoge, denoting "Indians'
home." This tract was located on the Housatonic River, and
it was enacted by the General Assembly in 17 12 that it should
be organized as a township under the name of New Milford.
Wabbaquassett, literally "covering," but originally the
303
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
name of a locality in the northeastern part of the colony, was
purchased by Major James Fitch and others as early as
1684. Two years later a permanent settlement was effected,
and in 17 13 a town was organized and called Pomfret; the
name was derived from Pontefract (commonly pronounced
Pumfret), a market and municipal borough of Yorkshire,
in which was situated the ancestral manor-house of the chief
executive of the colony at the time of the incorporation of the
town. About 1704 a few pioneers had settled on lands north
of Mansfield; two years later it was surveyed by the General
Assembly, and incorporated under the name of Ashford In
17 14. The following year the General Assembly granted
town privileges to Tolland, north of Coventry.
The colony had granted land on her eastern borders as
pensions to volunteers in the Narragansett war; settlements
had been made on this tract in 1696, and in 1708 it was
named Voluntown, the first two syllables of the word volun-
teer being used; it was incorporated as a town in 1719.
The northwestern part of the colony, still in its native wil-
derness, was designated as the western lands. In 171 8 a tract
of land known to the Indians as Bantam was sold to a com-
pany by the colony; it was incorporated the following year
under the name of Litchfield, after the ancient episcopal city
of Lichfield in Staffordshire.
This settlement was to germinate others, peopling the
hunting-grounds of the aborigines with tillers of the soil and
builders of towns. The next year Bolton, which had been
settled since 17 16 by planters from the Connecticut River
towns, was granted town privileges; it derived its name from
the important English manufacturing town in south Lanca-
shire. The General Assembly in 1726 took parts of Hart-
ford and New London Counties, and created a new county,
304
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
giving it the name of Windham ; it comprised the towns of
Windham, Lebanon, Plainfield, Canterbury, Mansfield, Cov-
entry, Pomfret, Killingly, Ashford, Voluntown, and Mort-
lake, the last being the name of a grant of lands that af-
terwards became a part of the town of Brooklyn.
The colony in 1720 had sold, for £510 sterling, a tract of
land to Roger Wolcott and his associates; a few families
had settled in that region prior to the sale, and in 1727 it
was incorporated under the name of Willington. The coun-
try on the east side of the Connecticut River, in the town of
Haddam, was created a new township in 1734 and named
East Haddam. The same year Union was incorporated; but
it was not represented in the Assembly, nor was any state tax
levied on it till 1780.
I'he northwestern section of Connecticut was a wild, and
at this period strenuous exertions were put forward by
the colony to encourage settlements in that region. Citi-
zens from Hartford, Windsor, and Farmington were granted
territory on which settlements were made in 1731; town
privileges were extended in 1739, and the name of Harwin-
ton adopted, the first syllables of Hartford and Windsor and
the last of Farmington being taken to make the name of the
town. The General Assembly had granted to residents of
Hartford a tract of land on which the first settlements had
been made in 1733 ; five years later it was incorporated under
the name of New Hartford.
The banner year for creating new towns was 1739, when
Goshen, Canaan, Kent, and Sharon were invested with town
privileges; the cause of this was due to public auctions held
by the colony to dispose of the territory. The land compris-
ing the town of Goshen was sold at New Haven in 1737,
those of Canaan at New London, and those of Kent at Wind-
305
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ham in the following year. The region comprising Sharon
was surveyed in 1732, and settled by parties from Lebanon
and Colchester.
The General Assembly in 1707 granted to a number of in-
habitants of Fairfield a tract of land on the western borders;
settlements had been made upon it in 1730, but owing to dit-
ficulties in reference to the boundary lines between New York
and the colony, it was not incorporated till 1740, when it was
named New Fairfield. There had been allotted to Windsor
parties a tract of land which in 1732 was named Torrington;
it was surveyed two years later, and settled in 1737 by emi-
grants from Windsor and Durham. At the session of the
General Assembly held in 1740 it received town privileges.
The territory comprising Cornwall was surveyed in 1738,
and divided into fifty-three allotments, which were sold at
Fairfield for £50 each; the principal settlers were from Plain-
field, and it was created a township in 1740. The extreme
northwestern corner of the colony was known to the govern-
ment as wild and unlocated lands, although as early as 1720
there were settlers within its limits. It was surveyed in 1732,
sold by the colony in 1737, and incorporated as a town under
the name of Salisbury in 1741. This was the name of one
of its earliest settlers, who, it is said, was the cause of the
death of an unruly servant-girl, for which he was sentenced
by New York authorities to be hanged when he was one hun-
dred years of age ; it is said that the offender lived to pass the
century mark, and it became necessary to grant him a re-
prieve.
Some of the northern border towns of the Commomvealth
were originally included in the grant made by the Massachu-
setts Bay Colony to the Springfield patentees ; this was a
source of complaint from Connecticut as early as 1642, in
306
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
which year iMassachusetts employed two surveyors, who ran
the southern boundaries many miles south of the true line.
The extreme southern part of this tract was incorporated into
a township by the Bay Colony, in 1674, under the name of
Suffield. The territory on the east bank of the Connecti-
cut River, opposite Suffield, was granted town privileges in
1683 and called Enfield; this town was divided in 1726, and
the eastern part was created a town and named East En-
Held, changed eight years afterwards to Somers. Settlers
from Roxbury, Massachusetts, had in 1686 emigrated to a
point east of Somers on the border line, which they gave the
name of New Roxbury; the General Assembly of Massachu-
setts in 1690 incorporated the region under the name of
Woodstock. Thus before 1700 there were three fully organ-
ized towns on Connecticut's soil that paid taxes and were sub-
servient to the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. This caused
dissatisfaction in Connecticut, and in 1694 a committee was
appointed to run the boundary line; they reported that the
former survey was erroneous, and that the inhabitants of Suf-
field and Enfield were encroaching on the neighboring towns
of Simsbury and Windsor.
In 1700 Connecticut again attempted to obtain an amica-
ble settlement of the difficulties, and two years later appointed
commissioners, who by actual surveys ascertained that the
line should be a considerable distance north of the former
limits. The Bay Colony dissented from this report, and in
1708 Connecticut appointed commissioners with full powers
to establish the boundaries, and if Massachusetts would not
unite to complete the transaction, an appeal to the Crown was
threatened. By dilatory actions Massachusetts delayed the
matter five years; but finally commissioners were appointed
by both colonies, who decided that the line was north of
307
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Enfield, Suffield, and Woodstock, and that these towns were
in the limits of Connecticut. The two colonies then entered
into the famous agreement of 17 13, in which Massachusetts
was to have jurisdiction over the border towns, though they
were south of that colony's boundaries. To compensate Con-
necticut for these privileges, Massachusetts was to give the
same amount of territory in her western confines, and to sell
her more distant lands at a cheap price. These unimproved
lands were called "Equivalent Lands," and were sold by Con-
necticut in 1716, realizing $2,274, which was donated to
Yale College. These lands aggregated about 107,000 acres;
and one-half of them, while they were supposed to be in Mas-
sachusetts, were really in the district to be known as Ver-
mont. The lands were sold to private purchasers, and in
1729 the pioneers left their native state to settle their new
purchases.
This was the status of affairs when, in 1724, Enfield and
Suffield petitioned the General Assembly of Connecticut to
be placed under their jurisdiction, claiming that they
were within the charter limits of the colony. The inhabitants
of Woodstock, while satisfied with the government at Bos-
ton, thought they could secure greater privileges under Con-
necticut; and as they were dissatisfied with their apportion-
ment of the war taxes, levied to carry on the French and In-
dian wars, they were ready to join their sister towns in seced-
ing from Massachusetts. The towns were persistent, and Con-
necticut being willing, the General Assembly in 1749 voted to
receive them. Notification was sent to the Massachusetts
authorities of Connecticut's action; to which they sarcas-
tically replied that it was contrary to the royal will, and they
must suffer the consequences. The agreement of 17 13 had
never been confirmed by the King, and Connecticut author-
308
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ized her agent in the old country to prevent the royal consent,
knowing that Massachusetts would use her utmost exertion to
obtain it. England was at this period engaged in the Seven
Years' War, and there is no evidence that the controversy
was ever brought before the Crown ; neither complainant
being anxious to have the home government meddling with
its priv^ate affairs. Commissioners were appointed by Con-
necticut in 1752, who reported that Massachusetts held ter-
ritory that did not rightfully belong to her.
This settled the matter for the time being, though as late
as 1768 the towns were warned by Massachusetts not to pay
any tax to Connecticut; an attempt was made by Massachu-
setts to enforce her claims in 1804, but she finally abandoned
the dispute, and the present line was established in 1822-26.
There was left, however, the indentation in the present town
of Granby, which remains as a memorial to those enterpris-
ing mathematicians, Woodward and Saffrey, who ran the line
in 1642 by taking a ship around Cape Cod and up the Con-
necticut River; they tried to establish a point in a direct line
from three miles south of the Charles River in the eastern
portion of Massachusetts Bay Colony, and got it eight miles
too far south.
The twelve towns in the northwestern part of the colony
had a population of about ten thousand, and the General
Assembly in 175 i incorporated them into a county by the
name of Litchfield. The territory comprising the town of
Stafford was ordered to be laid out by the assembly in 1718 ;
the following year it was named, and a committee was ap-
pointed to sell the lands and place the purchase money in the
county's treasury. From this time there are several men-
tions of the town in the colonial records, and the census taken
in 1756 gives it a population of one thousand, but there is no
309
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
record of its Incorporation. The General Assembly in 1755
ordered that a tax report should be made of the town, and
in the list submitted to that body in October 1756, the asses-
ment appears for the first time. The town was not repre-
sented in the General Assembly till the session held in May
1757-
A tract of land on the northern borders was sold at public
vendue by the colony in 1742; settlement began on the terri-
tory two years later; it was granted town privileges in 1758
under the name of Norfolk. Residents of Hartford and
Windsor in 1733 purchased of the colony the region west of
Suffield; the locality was first settled in 1753 and was incor-
porated as a town in 1761 by the name of Hartland.
By 1762 all the soil of the colony had been di-
vided into towns, and in the formation of new civic divisions
it became necessary to carve them out of existing townships.
In 1767 a part of Middletown was erected into a town un-
der the name of Chatham, from the Earl of Chatham, the
popular idol at this period, owing to his espousing the Ameri-
can cause against the right of Parliament to tax the colonies.
The same year Redding was taken from Fairfield and in-
vested with town privileges; the town was originally spelt
Reading, like its English prototype, but was later phonetic-
ally changed into its present orthography. That portion
of the town of Windsor on the east bank of Connecticut
River was formed into a township in 1768, and called East
Windsor, Hartford patentees of a grant in the northern part
of Litchfield County were given the right by the General
Assembly to incorporate Into a township in 1771, under the
name of Winchester; the town was not represented in the
legislature until 1781; In which year it paid Its first State
tax.
310
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Connecticut was now divided into seventy-two towns; she
had passed the days of being sparsely settled. Her popula-
tion, which in 1774 amounted to nearly 200,000, was cen-
tralizing, partially due to the swarming of her people to the
industrial centres, that even before the Revolution had shown
manifestations of future growth. New Haven was first in
the number of her people, Norwich being in the second place.
We have evidence that agriculture was the important occu-
pation of the colonists, as Farmington held the third place.
The other larger towns were New London fourth, Stratford
fifth, Stonington sixth, Woodbury seventh, and Hartford
eighth. The time had arrived when more momentous events
than the formation of towns were to interest the colonists of
Connecticut. The rumble of war was heard in the distance,
and Connecticut was to take her place shoulder to shoulder
with her sister colonies, in a war for independence. She was
to throw off her mantle of colonyship, to be afterwards in-
vested with the more dignified rank of State, and to perform
her part in the creation of a new nation.
311
CHAPTER XVIII
Boundary Troubles with Rhode Island and New
York
CONNECTICUT, secure in her rights of govern-
ment under her Royal Charter, turned her at-
tention to the permanent establishment of her
boundary lines. The difficulties of the settle-
ment with Massachusetts Colony as to her
northern boundary have already been explained. Her neigh-
bor on the east, while smaller in area than Massachusetts,
was fully as energetic and pugnacious in maintaining her
rights; the disputed territory lay between the Mystic River
and Narragansett Bay: Connecticut based her claims on her
conquest of the Pequots and her charter, and Massachusetts
on her assistance in subduing the Pequots. The New Eng-
land Congress, ignoring all rights of Rhode Island, had de-
cided that the Mystic River should be the boundary line be-
tween Massachusetts and Connecticut. The constant dispute
as to jurisdiction deterred settlers from locating on the tract,
as it was considered the equivalent of buying a lawsuit.
On receipt of her charter, Connecticut disregarded the
decision of the New England Congress; and also the agree-
ment made in London by Governor John Winthrop, her
agent, with Dr. John Clark, the agent of Rhode Island,
which was, that all difficulties were to be settled by arbitration
in that city, and that theTawcatuck River should constitute
the boundary line betv/een the two colonies. (The "Narra-
gansett River" of the old patent undoubtedly meant Provi-
dence River; but as this would nearly annihilate Rhode
Island, it was agreed that whenever the name occurred it
should be taken to mean Pawcatuck.) The charter received
from the King by the Rhode Island Colony, fifteen months
after the granting of the Connecticut charter, embraced the
Narragansett country. Connecticut repudiated the agree-
ment of Winthrop, claiming that he had exceeded his in-
315
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
structions and authority. In 1663 the General Assembly
granted privileges to planters of settling on the disputed
tract, appointed officers to administer the laws, and named it
Wickford. This section Rhode Island stigmatized as "legal-
ized robbery," and in March of the following year proposed
fixing a line between the two colonies ; later in the year Con-
necticut appointed commissioners, but they failed to agree,
and nothing was accomplished.
In 1665 the Royal Commission, at whose head was the
offensive Edward Randolph, without being petitioned, and in
their despotic way without the hearing of any testimony, de-
creed that neither colony had any claim to the territory; they
erected it into a separate province, to which they gave the
name of King's Province, and decided that it belonged solely
to his Majesty. To this decision Connecticut entered no pro-
test, but ignored it, and it faded into oblivion.
For several years the boundary question was left in abey-
ance, but in 1669 Rhode Island offered to leave the matter to
a legal tribunal. Three commissioners were appointed from
each colony; they met at New London the following year,
but after two days' session no amicable arrangements were
effected; this caused petty contentions on the disputed terri-
tory to break forth afresh, but the commencement of King
Philip's war turned the attention of Connecticut to more
weighty and important matters. At the close of this war, in
which Rhode Island had taken no active part, she again ob-
jected to Connecticut's jurisdiction over what she claimed to
be her territory. The latter advocated new claims to the dis-
puted lands, based on her troops accomplishing the expulsion
of the Narragansetts, and complacently offered to compro-
mise by accepting what is now East Greenwich as her eastern
boundary. This Rhode Island indignantly refused to con-
316
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
sider; and in the summer of 1677 a court assembled at Paw-
tucket, and rendered a verdict favoring Connecticut's occu-
pancy of the lands. Rhode Island then appealed to the King;
a commission was appointed, and on her refusal to allow
them to sit at Wickford they adjourned to Boston. This
commission decided that the government of the Narragansett
country should be in the hands of Connecticut, which decision
was forwarded to England but was never confirmed by the
Privy Council, and therefore never considered binding by
Rhode Island. The advent of Sir Edmund Andros into New
England politics reversed all former decisions; he suspended
Rhode Island's charter, changed the names of her towns, and
caused confusion to reign in the Narragansett country, repu-
diated Connecticut's claim to the territory, and guaranteed
Rhode Island's jurisdiction. She continued to hold it despite
the decision of the Attorney-General of England, in 1696, in
favor of Connecticut.
This stubborn resistance on the part of Rhode Island, and
Connecticut's own unwillingness to have her claim adjudicated
by the mother country, had its effect in modifying the posi-
tion of the latter. At the close of the seventeenth century,
the Board of Trade and Plantations, to whom the matter
had been referred, requested the Earl of Bellomont, the Roy-
al Governor of New York and Massachusetts, to act as arbi-
trator in accomplishing a friendly settlement of all differ-
ences. His efforts were unsuccessful, and he suggested that
the matter be referred to the home government for a final
adjustment; this hastened Connecticut's action, as her op-
ponent was fighting for very existence. Should Rhode Island
lose the disputed territory, it would so greatly curtail her area
that she would have but little left to live for. Connecticut
had larger and greater interests at stake, and at her sugges-
317
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
tion commissioners were again appointed by the colonies.
They agreed in May 1703 that the middle channel of the
Pawcatuck River, from salt water to the mouth of the branch
called the Ashway, and thence in a straight line through a
point twenty miles due west of the extremity of Warwick
Neck, in Narragansett Bay, due north to Massachusetts line,
should constitute the bounds between the two colonies. There
was no actual survey made at the time, but it was the boun-
dary line for which Rhode Island had always contended. It
was almost a score of years before commissioners were again
appointed to complete the arrangements, but as usual they
disagreed.
The sturdy little colony of Rhode Island again appealed
to the King for life and justice, and her opponent put for-
ward her old claim for the whole territory. The Board of
Trade and Plantations, after hearing the testimony, decided
that v.hile Rhode Island did not seem to have any legal right,
morally she was the true possessor of the lands in question;
and recommended that the charters of both colonies be taken
away from them and they be annexed to the colony of New
Hampshire. This recommendation created the greatest
alarm in Connecticut, and she took hasty action to appoint
commissioners with full powers to settle the differences with
her small but determined opponent; this commission fol-
lowed in the footsteps of its predecessors, and no definite ar-
rangements were consummated.
The Privy Council in 1727 recommended that the agree-
ment of 1703 should stand; it was so settled between the
two colonies, and in the following year the line was surveyed,
and excepting a slight straightening in 1840 it is now the
present boundary between the States, which it took sixty-five
years of quarreling to establish.
318
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The boundary disputes between Connecticut and New
York were very long, very tedious, and very bitter. The
Duke of York's title to New Netherlands was derived from
the purchase of all the grants that Lord Sterling had received
from the extinct Council of Plymouth; which he strengthened
by a charter from his royal brother, under date of March
12, 1664, in which the eastern boundary was the west bank
of the Connecticut River. As before stated, the western
boundary of Connecticut, in accordance with the charter, was
the shore of the South Seas, that is to say, the Pacific Ocean.
An expedition was dispatched from England with six hun-
dred soldiers and four commissioners — viz.. Colonel Rich-
ard Nicholls, Colonel George Cartwright, Sir Robert Carr,
and Samuel Maverick — to seize upon New Netherlands for
the Duke of York. The territory was surrendered by the
Dutch without bloodshed, and Colonel Richard Nicholls be-
came Royal Governor of New Netherlands, which was re-
named New York. Connecticut assumed a more pliant and
diplomatic course in dealing with the brother of the King
than when negotiating with her sister colonies; that she ulti-
mately preserved her present boundaries was largely due to
the sagacity and policy of Governor Winthrop, and the spirit
of justice and friendship exhibited by the first English gover-
nor of the province of New York.
The news of the English supremacy at New Netherlands
caused alarm to spread throughout New England. At
the next session of the Connecticut General Assembly, com-
missioners were appointed to convey to his Majesty's
Honorable Commission their congratulations on the successful
termination of their expedition, and request that measures
should be taken to establish the boundaries between the col-
ony and the Duke's patent. The Commonwealth at this time
319
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
claimed jurisdiction over New Haven Colony, Stamford, and
the eastern end of Long Island, and in fact had laid out an ex-
tensive province. The commission made but little progress;
and while an arrangement was drawn up that the boundary
line should run parallel with and twenty miles east of the
Hudson River, it was never executed. The Mamaroneck
river, which was about thirteen miles east of Westchester,
was agreed upon as the eastern point from which a line was
to be run north-northwest to the line of Massachusetts, and
was to constitute the boundary between the two colonies. No
survey was ever made, though Connecticut often requested
to have the line run. She surrendered her jurisdiction over
Long Island, and also relinquished to New York Fisher's
Island, which had been granted in 1641 to Winthrop.
The towns of Southold and Southampton on Long Island
— against the wishes of their inhabitants, who resented the
transfer — passed from the control of the colony. Southold's
connection had been of short duration, having been annexed
with the New Haven Colony. Southampton had been under
the jurisdiction of Connecticut since 1644, though taxes had
been levied on the township only since the obtaining of the
Royal Charter. The boundary agreement of 1664 was never
confirmed by the King, who dissolved the commission, and
therefore New York refused to abide by it.
Colonel Nicholls was succeeded by the Right Honorable
Francis Lovelace, Esq. In the summer of 1668 these gentle-
men paid a visit to Governor Winthrop, and through their
united exertions a post-road was established in 1763 between
New York and Boston, and a monthly mail was instituted.
This was the germ of the postal service of the United States,
and was supplemented in 1727 by Ebenezer Hurd riding as
courier between Saybrook and New York; he ended his
320
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
forty-eight years of service by bringing news of the battle
of Lexington to the New York, authorities.
The war between England and Holland broke out afresh
in 1672 ; a Dutch fleet entered New York Harbor the follow-
ing year and recaptured the province. A new regime was
instituted in New York by the retrocession from the Dutch in
1674, and the granting of a new patent to the Duke of
York in the same year, preserving to the utmost the limits of
the former charter. This change of affairs introduced into
the history of Connecticut a gentleman who was to play an
important part in her future annals. Major Edmund An-
dros was appointed provisional governor of New York; he
was at this time in the prime of life, being about thirty-seven
years of age, and but lately married. He had early chosen
the profession of arms, and was a favorite with the King and
his brother; while of imperious disposition and high
temper, he was a public officer of ability, and noted for his
spotless integrity and purity of life. One of the first acts of
the new government was to forward to Connecticut a copy
of the Duke of York's patent, demanding their submission to
its boundaries; this was accompanied by a threat that if
Connecticut refused to allow the west bank of the Connecticut
River as a boundary line, Andros would invade her terri-
tory. This aroused a state of rebellion in the colony; and
though King Philip's war was then in progress, the govern-
ment prepared to resist such an attack.
Andros sailed from New York, and on receipt of this news,
the authorities dispatched troops to garrison Saybrook and
New London; the commandant at the former fortification
was Captain Thomas Bull. On the ninth of June 1675 an
armed fleet was seen approaching the fort; the command-
ing officer, by instructions from the colonial authorities,
321
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
was to advise Major Andros that Connecticut, while she ap-
preciated his assistance, needed no aid in vanquishing her In-
dian foes. Captain Bull was ordered to keep the British flag
flying, and to resist the landing of Andros' force ; to avoid
striking the first blow, but to act on the defensive.
It was on the morning of the twelfth of July that Major
Andros requested permission to land, which was acceded to
by Captain Bull if for the purpose of negotiating a treaty,
for such was his instruction from the governor and council.
This proposal was haughtily rejected by Andros, who at-
tempted to read the Duke of York's patent and the Duke's
commissix>n to himself, which gave him his pretended au-
thority. To the reading of these documents Bull objected in
a strenuous manner; and so persistent were his efforts that
Andros, seeing it would be idle to attempt to overawe the in-
habitants, departed, with the sarcastic remark to the noble
commander of the fort that "it was a pity that his horns were
not tipped with silver."
Universal alarm was created throughout the colony by
these acts; and the Assembly hastened to send representatives
to England to lay their complaints before the Crown. An-
dros refused to recognize the boundary agreement of 1664,
claiming that, ev^en if it had been confirmed, it was abro-
gated by the new patent. Warrants for arrest were issued by
New York authorities against the inhabitants of Rye, Green-
wich, and Stamford. The former town had been settled by
the English, but in 1650 was placed under the jurisdiction
of the Dutch; after obtaining her Royal Charter, Connecti-
cut claimed the territory; it was created a plantation in 1665,
and some years later Bedford accepted the jurisdiction of the
colony.
These troubles led to correspondence between the gover-
322
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
nors, which resulted in the appointment in 1683 of commis-
sioners to adjust the boundaries. The New York authorities
contended that the line should be twenty miles east of the
Hudson River; and threatened, if this was not allowed, that
they would claim the territory to the west bank, of the Con-
necticut River. It was agreed by the commission, of which
the Connecticut representatives were Robert Treat, Nathan
Gold, John Allyn, and William Pitkin, on the 28th of No-
vember, 1683, "that the starting point of the line should be
Lyon's Point at the mouth of Byram Brook, following this
stream to a wading place that was crossed by a public road;
thence eight miles north-northwest into the country; thence
easterly to a line parallel to the first, beginning twelve miles
east of Lyon's Point as the Sound runs, and to a place in that
line eight miles from the Sound; thence along this north-
northwest line to a point twenty miles from the Hudson;
thence northerly to the Massachusetts border by a line paral-
lel to Hudson River in every point." If the quadrilateral
formed at the southwest corner of Connecticut, including the
present towns of Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan, Da-
rien, and parts of Wilton and Norwalk, came to any point
nearer than twenty miles to the Hudson, the other northerly
lines were to be run far enough to the eastward to give to
New York an equivalent tract of land. This was the cause
of the formation on Connecticut's western boundary of an in-
denture known as the "Ridgefield Angle," and the fact that
the boundary line as it runs inclines to the east.
The strip of territory assigned to New York was one and
three-quarters miles in width, was called the "Oblong" or
"Equivalent Lands," and comprised about 61,440 acres.
"Equivalent Lands" was a misnomer for the quitclaim New
York gave to the towns bordering on Long Island Sound;
323
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Connecticut settled them, they were within her charter limits,
and if they came within twenty miles of the Hudson it did not
lessen her right of government. New York had obtained
the line she contended for, the jurisdiction over the towns of
Rye and Bedford, and also a large tract of land to which she
had no moral or legal right. The line was surveyed as far as
the "Ridgefield Angle" ; but owing to the troublesome times
in England, it was not confirmed till 1700.
The towns of Rye and Bedford were not loyal to New
York, and in 1697 they rebelled; and until the confirmation
of the boundary line were represented in and acted with the
Connecticut government. An attempt was made to survey
the whole line in 1725; but a dispute arose, and it was not till
six years later that it was established. It was resurveyed by
New York in i860, agreed upon by both States in 1878-79,
and ratified by Congress in 1880-81.
The death of Governor Winthrop occurred in the midst
of Connecticut's boundary disputes. He was succeeded by
William Leete, who had been Deputy Governor since 1669.
Governor Leete was born in Dodington, England, in 16 12 or
1 6 13, and was a descendant of an ancient family who appear
in the public records as landowners as early as the thirteenth
century. Educated as a lawyer, he became a clerk at the Bish-
op's Court at Cambridge ; his sympathies were so aroused by
the cruelties imposed on the Puritans that he was led to
espouse their cause. He was Governor of New Haven at
the time of the union of the Colonies; on his election in 1677
he removed to Hartford, where he resided during his occu-
pancy of the executive chair, to which he was re-elected for six
consecutive terms. Governor Leete was noted for his integ-
rity, and was a very popular official; his death occurred in
1683.
324
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
The third governor of Connecticut under the charter was
Robert Treat; he was born in England in 1622, and came
with his father to America at an early age. He became a res-
ident of Milford when he was nineteen years old, and upon
the consolidation of the two colonies he removed to New Jer-
sey and became one of the founders of Newark. He returned
to Connecticut in 1672, took an active part in King Philip's
War, and was elected governor in 1683, and by re-election
held the office fifteen years, when he declined to be again a
candidate. During his gubernatorial career there was a
hiatus of about eighteen months, when the affairs of the col-
ony were administered by Sir Edmund Andros. Governor
Treat lived to reach nearly fourscore years and ten. He was
the beau-ideal of a gentleman; a planter whose hospitality
was proverbial, a courageous and sagacious military leader,
a conservative and able executive officer, noted for his piety,
and for his domestic and social qualities.
325
CHAPTER XIX
The Royal Governor
THE nominal headship of the colonies lay with
the Crown of England. The actual manage-
ment after the Restoration lay with the two
councils afterwards consolidated as the Lords
of the Committee of Trade and Plantations,
the Colonial Office of the time ; and the controlling superior
of that board was the Duke of York, afterwards James II.,
who gave constant attention to colonial matters, and was as
active and purposeful as his brother Charles was idle and
indifferent. It is perhaps hard for Americans to be quite just
either to the policy or the character of the king who tried to
re-establish Roman Catholic supremacy in the old England,
and erect an arbitrary government in the new ; we certainly
are unfair to his purpose if we judge of his action from
our own standpoint alone. It may have been a mistake for
him to desire a given thing when we desired the opposite, but
it is not necessarily an indication of unrighteous intent. Be-
fore deciding that to term him a dull bigot and tyrant is to
say the last word on his traits and work, it is fair to recall that
he established for his province the excellent and tolerant
*'Duke's Laws," which had all merits except freedom, the
one quality it was not in any Stuart to appreciate ; and that
the colonial officials he sent over were no profligate or needy
favorites to whom the colonies were flung as spoil, but among
the ablest and most upright of all their class in America.
Whatever their limitations, Nicholls, Andros, Nicholson,
and Dongan were neither corrupt, rapacious, cruel, nor even
self-indulgent. It is true that Percy Kirke must be charged
to his account, as an intention, but a glance at the list will
show Kirke's credentials. All James' appointees were sol-
diers first; he loved stiff soldiers too well, and took their ad-
ministrative capacity too much on trust. It is creditable to
329
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
his judgment, not usually considered his distinguishing trait,
that he was misled so little. As to Edward Randolph, wheth-
er James selected him or let the committee do it (as is most
likely), he was merely a small sharp jack-in-office, whose
prime function was to pick the desired quarrel with the col-
onies. All governments use such tools for such work, and
pay them out of the victims' pockets when possible.
James' policy was probably injurious, and certainly of-
fensive; but it was certainly not intended as the first, and
probably not specifically as the second. His methods were
characteristic of his hard narrow unpliable temper, and of
the dislike of popular power bred in the Stuarts by the expe-
rience of centuries, and not mitigated by that of the previous
generation ; but his scheme was neither ill-meant nor unstates-
manlike. To convert a set of small scattered "plantations,"
half encircled by dangerous Indians backed by a formidable
colonial foe, into a strong colony under an able commander,
cannot be thought a discreditable plan; and it was intended
to benefit them as well as England. Most of the other meas-
ures were considered necessary means to this end, or to over-
come resistance; they are to be judged by the merits or de-
merits of that end, not their own. If the objects were justifi-
able, the means were so ; if not, their obnoxiousness is so much
the more to be debited against it. They involved more rev-
enue; but the taxation to produce this was not to enrich the
royal exchequer (which even so would not have been crim-
inal, for it was much embarrassed), but to provide for the
colonial system. The enforcement of the navigation laws
would have been a blight on New England commerce, as al-
ways; but down to the Revolution, that section never ques-
tioned the necessity of this policy for any home government,
or its abstract rightfulness, and merely refused to endure it
330
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
as applied to itself. The press censorship (which however
merely transferred the English system to the colonies), the
restriction of town meetings, the refusal to let any one to go
to England (/. e. to make complaints) without a license, were
probably Andros' own devices, but James must have sympa-
thized with them : both had the true martinet intellect, and
thought the proper method of shutting off steam was to sit
on the safety-valve. The adhesive fingers of Randolph and
other instruments or favorites were not indispensable, it is
true; but they were inevitable. Fees and perquisites in
place of salaries were the almost universal means of paying
the civil officials of the day, in England as well as the colo-
nies; and perhaps excited more wrath in the latter only be-
cause they were less accustomed to being fleeced. At any
rate, New England suffered much less than the South, which
was actually driven into insurrection by them once, if not
twice. The extortions of the Virginia ring around Berkeley
most probably helped to bring on Bacon's rebellion; and a
century later, the North Carolina Regulators placed this
matter of fees in the forefront of their grievances.
It is not necessary to detail the steps by which Massachu-
setts lost her charter in 1684. It was the policy of the later
Stuarts to abolish municipal corporations: London, the Ber-
mudas, and some dozens of other places lost their franchises
under Charles. The Lords of Trade believed that the same
process could be advantageously applied here; and it sent
over Randolph to confirm the idea. Randolph had his for-
tune to make out of the country, first by pleasing his masters
and reporting what they wished (which doubtless fell in with
his own pleasure as a devoted Churchman), and next by liv-
ing on it; and he put his heart into both tasks. Massachu-
setts ineptly co-operated with him, by ungraciousness and
331
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
open contumacy ; but as the richer colony, it might have suf-
fered in any event. Connecticut was far too shrewd to in-
vite an open conflict, which obviously could have but one
ending; and if gracious words and even fulsome expressions
of loyalty, doing with eager alacrity what it had no objection
to doing, and professing eager alacrity to do what was out of
its power, could answer any purpose, would not grudge such
inexpensive sacrifices. The memory of Winthrop's winning
nature, and the friends he had made at the English court,
doubtless played their part. They were needed, for Connec-
ticut had plenty of evil-wishers besides Randolph. Massachu-
setts wanted one-half its territory, New York the other half.
The rulers of the latter were in a chronic quarrel with it;
they wished to round out their scattered and straggling col-
ony, and Connecticut was not a neighbor with whom to leave
fences down. Governor Dongan wrote to the Duke, "Con-
necticut was always grasping, tenacious, and prosperous at
her neighbor's expense, of evil influence over the New York
towns of Long Island, whose refractory people would carry
their oil to Boston and their whalebone to Perth, rather
than to their own capital."
Charles died on Feb. 6, 1684-5, ^"<^ the Duke of York ac-
ceded. New England received a proclamation of the fact
in the middle of April, and the Governor and Magistrates
of Connecticut at once had James II. proclaimed in its towns,
and sent on an address of condolence and congratulations,
praying for "the benign shines of his favor on his poor col-
ony." The General Court approved this on its session May
5, and sent another address expressing gratitude for his prom-
ise of toleration. That they had no very ardent hopes for
themselves, however, and had relied on Charles' personal
good-will, is evident from the immediate pains they took to
332
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
protect their grantees before the fate of Massachusetts be-
fell them. A corporation, by English law, could only make
valid grants under its common seal. Massachusetts had not
done so, and when the charter became null the grants became
so too. Connecticut had done the same; but, warned in time,
ordered all townships which had received grants to take out
new ones under the seal of the colony. This done while the
charter was in force, even its revocation would not disturb
the titles.
James had evidently made up his mind to revoke the re-
maining charters as soon as he came to the throne; that he
waited till then is fair evidence that Charles' personal feel-
ings toward the beneficiaries of his liberal patents were kind-
ly, and were decisive. Randolph was ordered to prepare Ar-
ticles of High Misdemeanor against Rhode Island and Con-
necticut, and sent them to the Lords of Trade in July. Con-
necticut was charged with making laws contrary to those of
England; imposing fines on its inhabitants; enforcing an
oath of fidelity to itself, and not enforcing the oaths of su-
premacy and allegiance; prohibiting the worship of the
Church of England; refusing justice in its courts; and ex-
cluding men of loyalty from its government and keeping the
latter in the hands of Independents. Doubtless it had tech-
nically committed all these offenses: some from ignorance,
some from necessity, some from the nature of Connecticut's
raison d' etre. None of them excites any horror now ; whether
they warranted forfeiture of its charter then would depend on
whether the government wished to exact the forfeiture.
The attorney-general prepared two writs of quo warranto
against the colonies, both dated July 8 ; but one returnable
Nov. 19, the other April 19 of the next year, to cover
delays. Randolph was to serve them; but he only
333
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
left England nine months later, arrived in Boston May 14,
and set up a new government for Massachusetts with himself
in it, and Joseph Dudley president of the council. Two Con-
necticut men, Fitz John and Wait Still Winthrop, sons of
the ex-Governor, were appointed on the latter, pretty cer-
tainly by direction from England. The Lords of Trade
were not intending an unrepresentative despotism. On the
27th Randolph sent a grossly insolent and bullying letter to
the officials of Connecticut, which furnished them much more
accurate information concerning himself than concerning his
writs, as he abstained from calling attention to the latter
having run out. He told them there was nothing left for
them to do but resign their charter humbly and dutifully,
since if they undertook to defend it at law they would have
all western Connecticut annexed to New York at once, be-
sides other posible evils. He expected they would not
put him to the trouble of coming there "as a herald to de-
nounce war," as his "friendship" for them made him wish an
accommodation. They were to come to him at Boston, and
they need not think of gaining any advantage by "spinning
out time by delay," as the writs would keep as fresh as when
landed — which was true. This was an excellent self-por-
traiture of the petty criminal lawyer turned diplomat; but
the gentlemen Magistrates of Connecticut were not Old
Bailey criminals. They probably knew already that writs
were on the way; and a fortnight before Randolph wrote
the letter, they had divided up all the unappropriated lands
of the colony among the towns to keep them out of the hands
of new royal grantees. Hartford and Windsor at this time
obtained most of the present Litchfield County, and had to be
bought off when the General Assembly attempted to resume
the lands later. The Magistrates now held a special session,
334
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
and sent another address to the King, beseeching him to sus-
pend proceedings against the charter, and averring that the
light of his countenance was life, and his favor as the cloud of
the latter rain. Randolph had seemingly the true Briton's con-
tempt for colonial intellects or legal knowledge : on July 20
he came on and served his waste-paper writs himself, calling
the secretary (John AUyn) and another keeper of the char-
ter (John Talcott) from bed at midnight for the purpose.
This was of course in order to impress them with his fierce
resolution, and the danger of opposing such invincible deter-
mination on the King's part. Probably their remembrance of
the Bloody Assizes the year before had a much stronger
effect.
Meantime Dudley had written a confidential letter urging
annexation to Massachusetts rather than New York, and
promising to send two of his council (including Wait Still
Winthrop) to confer on the matter. Environed with friends
each anxious to administer on its estate for its own good, and
ordered by irresistible power to surrender at discretion (for
new writs would certainly be issued), there were divided
counsels in the colony. We are used to speak of "Connecti-
cut's" action, but no political body was ever unanimous, and
there were two Connecticuts : one advocating prompt surren-
der for fear the King, if provoked, might make Randolph's
threat good and partition the colony among its neighbors ; the
other resolved not to be openly contumacious, but to give up
nothing until it was wrenched away. The former included
the official heads, Treat and Allyn, and other chief men of
the colony, as Fitz John Winthrop, afterwards governor. In
fact, the chosen leaders of Connecticut thought and said that
this mulishness was not shrewd politics, but asked for harder
terms than otherwise, and loss of all share in the new govern-
335
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ment. And this was quite true. Chance proved "the fools
in the right;" but they had no business to expect it, and by
all principles of reasoning from fact the leaders were correct.
That the people continued to elect both sections, at logger-
heads on the supreme question of the day, indicates this divi-
sion among themselves, the undeveloped state of parties, and
probably a wholesome confidence that instructed men of af-
fairs would work out a better solution than the mass. The
numerical majority was against surrender, and appointed
William Whiting, a London merchant, son of an old Hart-
ford resident, as agent to represent the colony; with power
to submit to the King's will if compelled, but meanwhile to
employ counsel to defend the cases, and in any case to beg
for separate existence and not partition. He did all there
was to do : the usual statement that he did no more because he
was not supplied with money Is very Improbable. James was
not a man to let a bribed courtier or a hired lawyer turn aside
a purpose fixed for many years.
A new writ was made out on Oct. 23, returnable at the
early date of Feb. 9, 1686-7, as It was to be sent on at once.
It was forwarded by Sir Edmund Andros, who arrived on
Dec. 20 commissioned to assume the government of New
England. Two days afterward he sent an express messenger
to Governor Treat, empowered to receive the charter; by the
same conveyance Randolph sent another of his courteous
epistles, telling the officials It would be best for them to com-
ply at once. Treat convoked the General Court, which voted
to leave the matter with the Governor and Council. Finally
they outlined a reply to Andros, stating that they were very
well satisfied to remain as they were, and they did not send
on the charter ; and a letter to the English secretary of state,
saying they would be glad to remain as they were if the
336
From an original print.
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
King were willing, but they must submit to his will, and if he
chose to join them to Andros' government as a separate
province, they should like it better than to be annexed to any
other province. This unsurpassed model of a letter which
yielded everything on its face and nothing in law had an ef-
fect much greater than the writers can have expected: the
government chose to take it as a legal surrender of their
rights into the King's hands, dropped the proceedings under
the writ, but not letting the Connecticut agent know the fact,
and keeping him on tenter-hooks till fall, (with daily expecta-
tion of a summons to trial), and on June i8 wrote Andros to
assume the power to which the Colony had agreed.
Treat privately wrote to Andros to placate him over the
Assembly's holding back; the preceding year he had been
anxiously and gratuitously placating Dongan; nevertheless
he wished to play the role of Dudley in Massachusetts, and
remain on top whatever befell, and so did his fellow magis-
trates. None the less they undoubtedly believed they were
doing his best for the colony, and we may believe it likewise.
Andros replied, remonstrating against the delay, as "hazard-
ing the advantages that might be to the colony," and making
him incapable of serving it as he would. Andros was a gen-
tleman, which Randolph was not, and did no bullying; he
was also a much larger minded man, and meant what he
said. This correspondence went on all summer, with entire
civility of language and unchanging pertinacity of purpose.
On March 30 Allyn and Talcott (two of the three keepers
of the charter) and the latter's brother wrote to the As-
sembly strongly declaring against "all further prosecutions
or lawsuits in opposition to his Majesty's known pleasure for
our submission." But the majority was not to be shaken, and
after several sessions elected officers in the fall as usual. On
337
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
June 1 5 a curious scene took place at a special session. On
motion, the secretary brought in the charter, and was or-
dered to take it out of the box and show it, then put it back
and leave the box there with the key in it; the court then ad-
journed without further direction. Who now kept it, we do
not know; nor what the court had in mind. If the majority
feared that Allyn might surrender it behind their backs.
Treat and Talcott were in the same faction with him.
In May, Andros had sent two commissioners. Palmer and
Graham, to Connecticut to work for his interest; they re-
ported that the official heads were for them, but the local
men would do nothing but wait his Majesty's pleasure. They
wrote to Dongan, however, that the Assembly had the sort
of consent Andros desired drawn up and signed, when
the clergy persuaded them to withdraw it; that is, full liberty
of belief in this point. It probably contains that much truth,
that the clergy to a man were opposed to the surrender, of
which they were to be and were the first sacrifices.
On Oct. 17 the English order of June 18 arrived at Bos-
ton; on the 22d Andros' council met at Boston to take ac-
tion upon it, and resolved that Andros should go or send "to
take the said place under his government" the next week,
giving notice to Treat and Allyn first. He sent the notice,
stating that he had orders from the King for Connecticut,
"annexed to this government," thus treating it as an accom-
plished fact. He set out accordingly, with several of his
Massachusetts council, and about sixty regular soldiers;
passed the night of Oct. 30 at Norwich, and started the next
day for Hartford, some thirty-eight miles. As it is a physical
impossibility, over the wretched roads and ferryless streams
of that time, that this cortege can have reached Hartford
before the early sunset (4.35, it being Nov. 10 new style),
338
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
the account of an afternoon session prolonged till after can-
dle light is a mistake, or if not, Andros was not at the earlier
part of it. He was there when, as Roger Wolcott says, "the
Assembly met and sat late at night," in the meeting-house,
with his retinue left outside. After (it would seem) elabo-
rate arguments from the Council which they knew Andros
had no power even to consider, and a long speech from
Treat, to no conceivable purpose except to convince the ma-
jority he was doing his best for them, the charter was brought
in; suddenly the candles were extinguished, and when re-
lighted the charter had disappeared. (It has been proved
that there was only one copy in Connecticut at the time, not
two: the mention of the "duplicate" means merely that there
was another copy in England.) Officially it made no differ-
ence: if Andros had no charter to take up, the colony had
none to fall back on; Allyn wrote on the records that An-
dros had taken into his hands the government of Connecti-
cut, annexed by his Majesty to the "other colonies under his
Excellency's government," and closed the book with "Finis."
Connecticut ceased to exist — even the Assembly must have
supposed permanently. Still, the opponents of the surrender
had perhaps further views than merely the boast that they
had never actually surrendered the charter. So long as the
colony's legal rights had not been legally abrogated, some-
thing might happen for which the charter would be very
handy. The writ of quo warranto had not been decided
against them; their charter had not been taken up: they
were merely absorbed by a royal proclamation which might
be rescinded by that King or another, in which case their
rights would revert to the old status.
As to what became of the charter, and who took it, the
question involves an antiquarian study for which this is no
339
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
place. Recent discoveries have made it apparently insoluble.
Roger Wolcott, himself in the Council a generation later, and
in a position to obtain first-hand information from the actors,
says two copies were brought in and each taken away by a
different person; yet there certainly was but one present.
Captain Joseph Wadsworth was given in 17 15 a public ac-
knowledgment (so small as to be almost a burlesque) for
saving the charter at a critical juncture; but Wolcott, one of
the committee who recommended the grant, says Talcott and
Nathaniel Stanley took it, and makes no mention of Wads-
worth. The latter was certainly not present at the meeting,
and could not have taken the charter from the table; most
likely it was passed to him outside. He certainly had posses-
sion of it for many years after, up to this public acknowl-
edgment ; but by this time the other copy had come over, and
it had in fact been obtainable at any time if wanted, — a fact
which makes the actual achievement of securing the duplicate
less momentous, though it does not change the character of
the action. Talcott and Stanley were dead at the time of the
grant to Wadsworth, or he might not have obtained it. With
the remark that very possibly Andros was rather relieved by
the disappearance, and that the friends and foes of the sur-
render were in a most curious alliance in its abstrac-
tion, we leave this branch of the subject. The place
of its hiding is even more uncertain : probably there was
more than one. There is no reason to discredit the Charter
Oak; but it cannot have remained there, and may well have
gone into Joseph Wadsworth's house, and not impossibly
later to that of Andrew Leete in Guilford for a while, as
more secure than Hartford.
The next day Andros called a Council, proclaimed his com-
mission, and (by command from England) appointed Treat
340
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
and Allyn councillors; thence he went on to New Haven,
Fairfield, and New London, appointing new courts and sher-
iffs, and commissioning as justices of the peace all the former
Assistants, besides making Allyn a judge. None refused to
take the oath : it would have been senseless, and we must not
exaggerate the bitterness of the Connecticut people in being
absorbed. None of them had any such feeling of outrage
and slavery as we are apt to accredit to them : some of them
liked it as being more dignified, to be part of a great colony
with a powerful head, than to make part of the self-managed
parish politics of a small unvalued district ; the New Haven
Colony people had been absorbed once in the generation, and
probably felt that a second absorption could be endured,
though they preferred independence. Most people disliked
the change, and liked it less and less as time went on ; but
they did not bear all the evils prospectively, and after all they
felt as free Englishmen under their home government.
The actual grievances under the Andros government prob-
ably seemed heavier to them than to us now ; but we can see
that they were very annoying, and some of them burdensome.
Andros extended the thirteen laws already passed by him and
his council to include Connecticut; and three or four more
were passed later. Most of these were administrative regu-
lations, which could arouse no feeling; nor could the laws
against piracy, or the bounty on wolves, or the valuation of
coins. The objection centered on five of them, two of which
were parts of the same; four were practical and one senti-
mental — by which is not meant unreal or to be contemned.
( 1 ) The added expenses were provided for by an impost
on foreign wines and liquors, and an excise on the domestic
trade in wines, beer, and cider, etc.
(2) A second act increased these for more revenue. This
341
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
probably resulted, not In larger prices for the same quantities
of drink, but in the same prices for smaller quantities, as now;
but it vexed people, and is said to have slackened trade.
(3) No land could be purchased from the Indians except
under license from the Governor, and of course fees, we do
not know how large. By Itself, the law could be well justi-
fied: there had been conflict enough over these grants, of
which, to use William Eaton's phrase about the Cherokees,
one could buy any number for the same land from the same
Indian for "a bottle of whisky and a rifle"; but Connecticut
preferred to fight this out herself.
(4) All wills must be probated at Boston; this meant
fees, but not a journey as usually stated, as they could be pro-
bated at the county courts and then sent on to Boston. Still,
as the Boston probate was the conclusive one, administrators
(usually widows) were always liable to be called thither to
defend the will.
It may be added that by orders of the Council, though not
among these laws, all the colonial records were removed to
Boston, which involved a visit there — and fees — to consult
them; and that all deeds, mortgages, and wills must be regis-
tered there — for a fee. This was a product of Randolph's
alert genius for enriching himself, he being registrar; but as
he liked the profit of It much more than the work, he farmed
out the office to John West for £150 a year. It is pleasant
to know that he enjoyed only two years. West made his profit,
according to Massachusetts magnates, by charging exorbitant
fees; which might be inferred a priori. In fact, there is a
charge In Massachusetts after Andros' fall, that his New
York favorites, who came on to be with him, levied ex-
tortionate fees at will on all occasions and without rule : this
is probably exaggerated, but probably not invented— they
342
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
had their living to make, and fees were the only way. In
our day we should pay them salaries, and include the amount
in the general taxes: the result would be one grumble once
a year, but not a fresh gall at every fee. These fees were
probably felt more than any one other business grievance :
Connecticut was not rich, it was very economical, and it had
not been used to even a small and moderate body of leeches.
(5) A more rankling because more humiliating law was
the order that town meetings should be held only once a
year, "on any pretence or color," and then to elect officers
to assess taxes, etc., strictly under orders of the justices ap-
pointed by Andros. This denial of local self-government af-
ter being wonted to it was worse than any exaction of money,
and would have been bought back for much more than An-
dros actually got from the colony, had it been possible.
The militia was of course made part of the new system.
The act prohibiting peddlers was probably urged on him by
the town tradesmen, and was part of the chronic warfare
waged even to our own times by stationary against itiner-
ant dealers; it Is doubtful whether it extended to Connecticut.
The law forbidding any one to leave the colony by sea
without a license from the Governor may not have been so
either: It was not passed In New England, owing to Massa-
chusetts' opposition, but in New York, toward the last of
Andros' period, and its effect Is doubtful. The laws were no
longer printed, which was an offense: probably it was
thought a waste of money needed for the embarrassed ad-
ministration. The rule forcing witnesses and jurors to kiss
the Bible instead of taking oath, outraging Puritan feeling
and getting no better justice, was an instance of martinet rea-
soning: to achieve the maximum of exasperation with the
minimum of utility seems the aim of some administrators.
343
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Many refused to serve on such grounds. Andros aimed a
blow at the Congregational system by relieving all from legal
obligation to pay rates for it, which angered not only the
clergy but the freemen, who had established the system they
liked and wished to keep it. It was reported that he had
threatened to punish any one who "gave twopence to a dis-
senting minister"; which only shows what an angry people
will believe, like the stories of his inciting Indian outrages.
When all discounts are made, — and a great many must
be made from the "mailed tyrant" of common tradition, —
Andros' government was a costlier and not more efficient one
than the old, full of vexations, and one which took the heart
out of the freemen. They rebelled against it in feeling, so
plainly that, according to Roger Wolcott, Andros told Rev.
Mr. Hooker they must have kept many days of prayer and
fasting on his account; to which the minister replied, "Very
probable, this kind goeth not out otherwise." There were
stories of active plots to overthrow the government; there
were letters from England denouncing them as "a com-
pany of hens" if they did not. But they were not madmen;
and not many months after Andros' accession, the roar of the
coming storm in England had reached ears much less acutely
anti-papal than theirs. They could wait.
Late in 1688 James fled to France; early in 1689 Wil-
liam and Mary were proclaimed in England. At news of the
Revolution the Bostonians threw Andros into jail; but their
charter was gone irrevocably. Connecticut's was not; and
without waiting for leave (which was wise, as William much
preferred to leave New England as it was, and Andros over
it), the old officials produced the document, probably as
their warrant, and called town delegates together. These
were asked to vote as to whether they would consent to let
344
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
the officers Andros found in power resume their functions,
would continue as they were, or would have a committee of
safety. A partisan of Andros asserts that the leaders at first
were against an election, fearing they might not get back
their old places, and only consented when they had made a
plan to keep them ; very likely there is some truth in this, but
if so their plan was a most skillful one. The second propo-
sition was what they were met to be rid of, the third was a
novelty no one knew how to handle; the first was accepted
at once, and the old government resumed its functions with-
out noise. There were dissidents; but they cannot have
been very numerous. The colony joyfully proclaimed Wil-
liam and Mary, and sent over a petition to William not to
molest the charter further. William would have been glad
to carry out James' plan; but the best lawyers pronounced
the charter valid, having never been legally revoked, and
William had no mind to enter into a legal squabble with one
of his colonies at this juncture. The unreasoning obstinacy
of the Connecticut deputies, aided by the perhaps equally
unreasoning hot blood of others, had saved the charter, and
with it the possibility of the unique career of the later Con-
necticut. Historical events do not happen in order to en-
able historical writers to draw morals. F. M.
345
CHAPTER XX
First and Second Intercolonial Wars
THE occupancy of the English throne by Wil-
liam was immediately followed by a declara-
tion of war between England and France.
Louis XIV. offered to maintain neutrality be-
tween their respective colonies; but this the
King of England rejected, relying on the strength of his
northern colonies to successfully combat their French neigh-
bors. War was no sooner declared than the French gover-
nor urged the Eastern Indians to hostilities. The New York
governor, Jacob Leisler, a senior captain of the citizen militia
who had served the government, appealed to Connecticut
for assistance to protect his northern borders from invasion.
The assembly appointed a committee to confer with him;
and in accordance with their decision, the governor and coun-
cil despatched to Albany the redoubtable hero of the Say-
brook affair, Captain Bull, with a company of soldiers. Bull
was instructed not only to defend the country, but to nego-
tiate a friendly treaty with the Iroquois. The colony also
sent another force to protect the fort and city of New York,
but they were recalled by the Assembly in the following Oc-
tober.
In the early part of 1690 occurred the massacre at Sche-
nectady, in which Captain Bull's company suffered the loss
of five men killed, and the same number were taken prison-
ers. Depredations by the French and Indians in the northern
part of New England, were the occasion of Massachusetts
asking for men to protect the upper Connecticut River towns ;
reinforcements were solicited from New York and Albany;
and Connecticut, ever willing to respond to call for help,
despatched two hundred men to the relief of Albany, and
another detachment to aid the Massachusetts settlers upon
the Connecticut River. The Commonwealth, to protect her
349
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
borders and towns, organized her available inhabitants into a
military force, none being exempt except assistants, minis-
ters, the aged and infirm ; and these were obliged to furnish
substitutes if financially able.
A conference of the colonies was held in May 1690, and
plans for aggressive warfare were determined upon; nine
hundred soldiers were to be raised in New York, and Con-
necticut to undertake the subjugation of Montreal, while a
fleet and army were to sail from Boston to attempt the cap-
ture of Quebec. The Montreal expedition was to proceed
by land, and Fitz John Winthrop was placed in command of
the invading army. The Five Nations were to be allies of
the English; but on arriving at the rendezvous the Indians
failed to put in their appearance. Winthrop, deserted by the
Indians, with no means of transportation and a lack of com-
missary supplies for his army, was obliged to retreat to Al-
bany. The failure of the campaign was in no way due to any
fault of Connecticut, who had liberally supplied men and
munitions.
An Indignity was perpetrated upon the colony by the quasi
governor of New York, in arresting the commanding officer
of the expedition and for several days holding him a prison-
er. The attempted court-martial, and its probably fatal re-
sults to Winthrop, however, were circumvented by the timely
interference of a party of Mohawk Indians, who liberated
the captive In triumph. It is needless to say that the Con-
necticut Assembly fully exonerated Winthrop from any
blame for the disastrous results of the expedition, and ex-
pressed full confidence in his fidelity and ability to command
any future undertakings.
Connecticut during the duration of the war had responded
nobly to her neighbors' calls for troops: In February 1693
350
From the original painting in State Capitol.
FITZ JOHN WINTHROP
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
one hundred and fifty soldiers, under Captain John Miles,
were placed at the disposal of the governor of New York.
The following month, to relieve the necessities of Massachu-
setts, sixty Englishmen and forty Indians under Captain Wil-
liam Whiting were forwarded to her assistance. In response
to a requisition from the King for the defense of Albany in
1694, a tax of one penny on a pound was levied, and £500
collected and forwarded to Governor Fletcher. Warrants
were also issued for fifty bushels of wheat in each county, to
be made into biscuits to supply the soldiers in cases of emer-
gency. Peace was finally established in 1697 by the signing
of a treaty at Ryswick in the Netherlands, between France
and the allied powers, thus closing the first intercolonial war.
The war had been very burdensome for Connecticut : her
disbursements had amounted to £12,000, which had been
mainly spent in defending the borders of her sister colonies.
Her expenditures amounted to about one-tenth of her grand
list, and in many cases were caused by Governor Fletcher's
unnecessary demands, which were acts of retaliation for the
treatment he had received on his visit to Hartford.
The venerable Governor Treat was over seventy-five years
of age when in 1698 he refused any further candidacy for
the office; Fitz John Winthrop was elected his successor.
The latter was son of the father of the Royal Charter, and
was a native of Ipswich, Massachusetts, where he was born
March 19, 1639. His collegiate course at Hartford was in-
terrupted by his departure for England to accept a commis-
sion in the Parliamentary army; he was engaged in the mili-
tary campaigns in Scotland, and entered London with Gen-
eral Monk when he made his famous march. After the Res-
toration, Winthrop returned to Connecticut, with which col-
ony he was identified until his death in 1707; this occurred
351
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
while on a visit to his brother Wait Still Winthrop at Bos-
ton. While an incumbent of the gubernatorial chair, Gov-
ernor Winthrop was a resident of New London, and was
noted for his unbounded hospitality; he lacked the qualities
of statesmanship with which his grandfather was endowed,
and also the scholarship of his father, but he was an able ad-
ministrator of public affairs, and enjoyed the confidence and
absolute trust of his constituency. During his entire occu-
pancy of the governor's chair he had the advice and experi-
ence of his predecessor in office, who filled the position of
Deputy Governor.
In 1698 a radical change was made in the formation of
the General Assembly, when two distinct legislative bodies
were instituted. The Governor, the Deputy Governor, and
the magistrates were to constitute the upper house, while the
deputies, who were the immediate representatives of the peo-
ple, were called the lower house. While the action of the
two houses was to be independent, no new law could be en-
acted and no former law could be repealed or altered without
separate action and the consent of both houses. The new
organization went into effect at the session held in May 1699,
where John Chester of Wethersfield was chosen Speaker, and
Captain William Whiting Clerk, of the lower house.
A second intercolonial war was precipitated by the War
of the Spanish Succession. The primary grievance was the
acceptance by Louis XIV. of the Crown of Spain for his
grandson Philip, despite a solemn renunciation. The im-
mediate occasion was his acknowledgment of the "Old Pre-
tender" as King of England, which aroused the English to
fury, and enabled William III. to form a great European
coalition, to wrest Spain from Philip and prevent France
352
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
from being mistress of Europe. Of course the colonies fol-
lowed the lead of the home parties.
The Connecticut Assembly, at its October session in 1703,
in response to a request of Governor Dudley of Massachu-
setts, forwarded one hundred men to aid in a warfare against
the eastern Indians. The frontier and border towns of the
Commonwealth were ordered to prepare themselves to resist
any invasions.
The inveterate enemy of Connecticut's charter, Joseph
Dudley, had in 1702 been appointed Royal Governor of
Massachusetts ; in the same year Edward Hyde, Lord Corn-
bury, had been made chief executive officer of the province of
New York. The demands for financial aid by these two
royal governors almost emptied the colonial treasury; and
this, together with the same desire on the part of Cornbury
which had been held by Andros and others, to annex Connec-
ticut to the province of New York, caused the people of the
colony annoyance and trouble. Connecticut was increasing
in wealth and population; but her readiness to use her re-
sources to help her neighbors in their difficulties created an
impression that she was more opulent than really was the
case.
The ambition of the Governor of Massachusetts was to
attach the exchequer of Connecticut to his treasury, and de-
prive her of her charter, which she had maintained against
every assault. Previous to the change of sovereignty in
England, Dudley had presented a bill to Parliament for abol-
ishing the charters of all the American colonies, claiming
that they were injurious to trade and encouraged piracy; all
powers and rights derived from the charters were to be re-
invested in his Majesty, his heirs, and successors to the
Crown of England. This bill was mainly aimed at Connec-
353
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ticut; but her cause was so ably defended before the House
of Lords by Sir Henry Ashurst, the agent of the colony, that
Dudley's bill was ingloriously defeated. Failing in this
scheme, Dudley became a purveyor to the ambition of Corn-
bury, promising his aid to bring Connecticut and the south-
ern colonies under the dominion of New York.
Cornbury, an ambitious though weak man, son of the
famous Clarendon, was a cousin-german to Queen Anne, and
allied by blood with a large number of her Majesty's cour-
tiers. These detractors of Connecticut's fame, assisted by a
number of resident malcontents, in connection with the publi-
cation of an anonymous work entitled "Will and Doom,"
which professed to narrate grievances and irregularities in
the province of Connecticut, made accusations against the col-
ony. The avowed enemies of Connecticut filed a complaint,
accompanied by false affidavits and witnesses, accusing her
officials of maladministration, the carrying on of contraband
trade, and other like offences. Further accusations were
made that the colony was a place of refuge for fugitives from
justice from other colonies, that protection was given to those
who evaded taxes, and that the colony had refused to fur-
nish troops to aid New York and Massachusetts to repulse
the French and Indians. These complaints, accompanied by
a copy of the "Will and Doom," certified to by its supposed
author, Rev. Gershom Bulkley, Edward Palmes (a son-in-
law of the late Governor Winthrop), and William Rosewell,
together with a petition purporting to be in behalf of the
Mohegan Indians, alleging that the colony had abused that
tribe and driven them from their planting grounds, were pre-
sented to the Queen. The last of the evidence against the
colony reached England on Feb. 12, 1705, and the trial of
354
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Connecticut for her charter was begun before the Queen
in Council.
The complainants had prepared their case with great ad-
dress, industry, and spite; but Connecticut's interests were
again ably defended by Sir Henry Ashurst, assisted by the in-
fluence of his brother-in-law Lord Paget, and supported by
able counselors. The advocates placed before the Council
the injustice that would be done to the colony in depriving
her citizens of their political life, without giving them the op-
portunity to file a rejoinder to the accusers' complaint. The
avarice, ambition, and corrupt patronage of the accusing of-
ficials were vividly portrayed, and a striking contrast made
between Dudley and Cornbury on the one hand, and Treat
and Winthrop on the other. So eloquently was the cause
pleaded, that the counselors' prayer that a copy of the com-
plaint be sent to the Governor and Council of Connecticut, so
they might prepare an answer to defend the corporation at
some future time, was complied with by the Queen's Coun-
cil. This was a death-blow to the artificers of the scheme,
whose success depended on a snap-judgment, and they never
prosecuted their complaints.
The General Assembly in their answer were able to prove
that instead of neglecting Massachusetts and New York, they
had during the last two years kept 600 troops in service, two-
thirds of that number having been engaged in protecting
those provinces. The currency of the colony for the last
three years had been limited to £2,000; but she had ex-
pended a much greater sum than this in defending
the neighboring provinces, for which services they had Dud-
ley's written acknowledgment. 1 hese facts were sufficient
to prove the loyalty and honor of Connecticut; and on their
presentation to the Queen's Council the legal opinion was
355
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
founded, that under her charter the colony was subject only
to requisitions emanating from the Crown, and that her peo-
ple alone had the right to dispose of her funds and militia.
When Dudley again requested troops for his assistance,
in 1707, he met with a flat refusal. The colony in the early
part of that year was alarmed by a threatened invasion of the
French and Indians, and it was rumored that the Indian
tribes residing within her boundaries were to become allies of
the French ; this would expose her western frontiers to great
dangers. The border towns were fortified; the Indians were
removed to where they could be watched by the English, and
their chiefs were held as hostages. Though requested by
Governor Dudley, the Assembly refused to furnish troops to
take part in an expedition that Massachusetts was organizing
against Acadia.
The death of Governor Winthrop occurred during these
troublesome times, and at a special session of the legislature
held at New Haven, Rev. Gurdon Saltonstall was elected
to fill the unexpired term. At the regular election held the
following May, this choice was confirmed by the people.
Governor Saltonstall before-named held the position till
his death, aggregating seventeen consecutive terms. Gurdon
Saltonstall was three generations removed from his ancestor
Sir Richard Saltonstall, one of the original patentees of Con-
necticut. He was born March 27, 1666, at Haverhill, Massa-
chusetts, graduating from Harvard eighteen years later;
studied theology, and was ordained in 1691 as minister at
New London, where he afterwards resided. He was a per-
sonal friend of his predecessor in office, and his chief adviser
during his illness; and was therefore thoroughly informed
in the routine business of the executive office. Though widely
censured for resigning a spiritual charge for a temporal of-
356
From the painting by Wright in State Ca]iitol.
GORDON SALTOXSTALL
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
fice, he did more for the establishment of an ecclesiastical
discipline in the colony than any of his predecessors. He
was a polished scholar, a thorough student of men and af-
fairs, of majestic bearing, and noted for his loyalty to the
American colonies. His sudden death of apoplexy, on Sept.
26, 1724, robbed Connecticut of one of the most striking
personalities of the eighteenth century.
The American colonies were desirous of the subjugation of
Canada, although the expedition of 1707 had been aban-
doned by Governor Dudley on Connecticut's refusal to fur-
nish her quota of troops. In the spring of 1709 a communica-
tion was received from Queen Anne, in which the colony was
requested to raise 350 men and provision them for three
months, to co-operate with an armament to be sent from the
old country to attack Quebec; requisitions were also made
for 400 men, to constitute a part of a land force to make a
simultaneous assault on Montreal. The colony's quota was
obtained and placed in command of Colonel William Whit-
ing. On receipt of the news that the provincial armament
was ready to put to sea, the army intended for the reduction
of Montreal was ordered to rendezvous at Wood's Creek, in
the province of New York, and there await the coming of the
fleet from England. The mother country failed to fulfill her
promises, and the English fleet never materialized. The
colonies had been so enthusiastic for war, that they had all
raised volunteer companies in excess of their quotas, and fur-
nished one hundred bateaux and a number of birch canoes,
besides building forts and several blockhouses and store-
houses on the frontiers. These expenses were useless; and
disease so depleted the ranks of the army of invasion that in
the fall a retreat was ordered to Albany. The loss of life in
this expedition was as disastrous as though it had been en-
357
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
gaged in mortal combat with the enemy; fully one-quarter of
the command were buried in the New York wilderness, Con-
necticut alone losing ninety men.
The colony had passed through various phases of a cir-
culating medium common to all newly discovered and settled
countries. The use of the Indian wampum, and of bullets,
and of corn and other cereals, as legal tender for trade,
had been followed by the coinage in Massachusetts of the so-
called pine, oak, and willow tree shillings, and likewise coin
of smaller denominations. Connecticut was among the first
of the colonies to issue paper or fiat money. The first
emission was made in 1709; previous to that year she had
liquidated her obligations by direct tax levied upon the peo-
ple. The taxes had risen to seven or eight pence on the
pound, and this to struggling agricultural communities was
ruinous. The need of a circulating medium, and the extra
war expenditures, obliged the colony in June 1709 to issue
£8,000 in paper currency; the notes were not legal tender,
but were received at premium for payment of taxes, and for
their redemption a special tax was levied of ten pence on the
pound, payable in two annual installments. The same year
an additional issue of £1 1,000 was made, to be paid in six an-
nual payments.
The colonists were still alarmed by the threatening attacks
of the Indians, who remained faithful to their French allies.
The waning affections of the Five Nations made but a slight
bulwark between the English colonists and their enemies. In
the latter part of 1709 a conference of the colonial governors
was held, to adopt a uniform plan of operation and' solicit
aid from the mother country. This resulted in the expedition
against Port Royal, to which army Connecticut furnished
three hundred men in obedience to the Queen's request, and
358
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
in four weeks they completed their quota and reported in
transports at Boston.
This expedition's success in capturing Port Royal stimu-
lated the mother country in the following year to forward
a fleet to assist the colonies in subjugating Canada. This was
the nucleus of the luckless Plovenden Walker's armament.
By a disagreement of the pilots, eight transports with 885
English soldiers were wrecked near the mouth of the St.
Lawrence River; this loss so disheartened the commander
that after holding a council of war, the British fleet weighed
anchor for England.
A land force was organized in connection with this water
campaign to make a simultaneous onslaught on Montreal.
This army consisted of troops from Connecticut, New York,
and New Jersey; the Connecticut contingent being under the
command of Colonel William Whiting. The invading army
began its march for Montreal on the same day that Ad-
miral Walker's fleet sailed from Boston, but was obliged to
abandon its project on receiving the news of the disaster to
the latter expedition. This was the third fruitless attempt of
the American colonies to subdue Canada, and the treaty of
Utrecht suspended all open hostilities between the rival col-
onies. The cessation of warfare was to be the harbinger of
almost thirty years of peace; though the growth of settle-
ment in the English colonies, and the hounding on of the In-
dians by the French Jesuits to murderous raids, were to lead
to many Indian depredations, none of which, however, were
within the confines of Connecticut. The colony of Massachu-
setts became involved in war with the eastern Indians, and a
demand from her governor for soldiers in aid was refused
by the General Assembly. The colony placed her frontiers
in a condition of defense, and aided the new county of Hamp-
359
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
shire in Massachusetts by sending a detachment of fifty men
to defend her borders.
These constant warfares on the part of her sister colonies
were the cause of several thousand pounds' expense to the
colony, though not a life was sacrificed; the expenditures
led to various issues of paper currency; and though pro-
visions were made by special taxation to redeem these obliga-
tions, the evil consequences could not be entirely avoided.
The notes were made legal tender in 171 8, but the frequency
of the issues and the alarming extent of counterfeiting de-
moralized business. This system of fiat money had brought
the once conservative colony into a deplorable condition finan-
cially; it was augmented in 1733 by the issue of £30,000, di-
vided into loans among the counties. As paper money was is-
sued, silver steadily increased in value; in 1708 it was worth
eight shillings an ounce, in 1732 the price was eighteen shil-
lings, and 1744 it reached thirty-two shillings. The price
of commodities had advanced in proportion, and wages
had not kept pace therewith. The colonial authorities seemed
to have lost all caution, and the colony's accounts were kept
so carelessly and in such a puzzling manner that it became
practically impossible to arrive at a correct financial balance.
There had been issued in paper money previous to 1740,
£156,000, all of which had been redeemed, excepting £6,000;
there was outstanding indebtedness to counties £33,000, mak-
ing £39,000 unliquidated.
In the midst of Connecticut's financial troubles occurred
the death of Governor Saltonstall; he was succeeded by Jo-
seph Talcott, who had filled the office of Deputy Governor
during the last year of Governor Saltonstall's adminis-
tration. Governor Talcott was first elected by the people in
1725, and held the office for every consecutive term till his
360
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
death in 1741; he was the first native citizen elected Gov-
ernor. Governor Talcott was born in Hartford on the nth
or 1 6th day of November, 1669, and was the son of Colonel
John Talcott, who gained military renown in King Philip's
war. From the age of twenty-three until his death, he was
identified with the political life of the colony; while not a
brilliant man, he was possessed of good common-sense, was a
faithful servant to his public trusts, not an extremist in any
direction, and displayed excellent judgment in managing pub-
lic affairs, somewhat to the prejudice of his private interests.
361
CHAPTER XXI
Third Intercolonial War
THE next war Into which the European en-
tanglements dragged the colonies was due to
the conflict of English and Spanish commer-
cial interests, principally the slave-trading
rights granted to England by the Treaty of
Utrecht. Spanish revenue vessels captured English trading
ships accused of smuggling, and were accused of barbarously
misusing the masters and crews; one captain had an ear cut
off, and the resultant war was nicknamed by its opponents
"The War of Jenkins' Ear."
At the session of the Connecticut General Assembly held
in the fall of 1739, forecasting this war, measures were
taken to place the colony in a defensible position. The coast
defenses were strengthened; and the militia was formed into
thirteen regiments with a full roster of line officers, the Gov-
ernor being made commander-in-chief with the rank of
Captain-General. The Spanish-American colonies were to
be the object of attack by the English, and an overwhelming
armament was organized to capture their strongholds; the
expedition was commanded by Admiral Edward Vernon, the
head of a successful campaign against Porto Bello In 1739.
The New England colonies were called upon by the home
government to furnish four provincial regiments, and every
effort was made by the authorities of the colony to obtain
their quota of one thousand men, to join the English at Ja-
maica. The volunteers were given the privilege of electing
their own officers, and every able-bodied male was urged to
enlist.
A new Issue of paper money amounting to £45,000 was
voted, £8,000 of which was to be used for the redemption of
outstanding Issues known as "old tenor" ; £23,000 was to be
loaned, the interest on which was to create a sinking fund for
365
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the liquidation of the "New Tenor" or new issue. The legal-
tender clause was abolished in obedience to the demands of
the Board of Trade and Plantations.
Energy was infused into the preparations by the old ques-
tion of Catholic vs. Protestant. In the fall of 1740 the ar-
mada, consisting of twenty-five ships of the line, with a cor-
responding number of auxiliary vessels, sailed from England;
the commander was Lord George Cathcart, whose death en
route deprived it of a capable leader who had won distinction
in Continental wars. The command devolved upon Briga-
dier-General Wentworth, who was practically unknown in
army and naval circles. The union of this force with Vice-
Admiral Vernon at Jamaica aggregated twenty-nine ships of
the line and as many frigates, with 15,000 seamen, besides
12,000 soldiers. The tropical climate of the West Indies
proved dangerous to the northern soldiers, and their ranks
were soon diminished by sickness.
A council of war was held on Jan. 10, 1741, and the Eng-
lish commanders deemed it wise to ascertain the intentions of
a large fleet of French war vessels before attempting the con-
templated attack on Cartagena. The French fleet having
sailed for Europe, the English forces on March 4 sighted
the beacons of Cartagena; this strongly entrenched Span-
ish seaport was situated on the Caribbean Sea, and had bla-
zoned on Its portals "Defiance to the World." The
procrastination of the English had allowed the Spanish to re-
inforce Its garrison until It numbered about 4,000 men; and
nature, helped by the science of fortification, had made it
nearly impregnable. The English force, while it had suf-
fered from disease, was at least five times the number of the
enemy.
The colonial contingent were subjected to Insults by the
366
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
English officers; menial duties were assigned them, they
were placed with the Jamaica negroes to construct trenches,
and on bombarding expeditions were required to carry scaling
ladders and grenades for the English grenadiers. Although
the Spanish outposts were captured one by one, the city still
resisted the siege, which was partially due to the antagonism
between the commanders of the naval and land forces of the
English. The last fatal English assault was made by the
army, unsupported by the navy, on the fortress San Lazaro ;
of the five thousand English that took part in the engage-
ment, more than one-fifth were left dead on the field of battle.
Rumor was circulated that the city was saved by paying a
ransom of nine million pounds sterling. On the fifteenth of
April the siege was raised, and in the early part of the fol-
lowing month the English fleet set sail for Jamaica ; it after-
wards engaged in attacks upon points on the Island of Cuba,
but disease again invaded their ranks, the loss reaching a
thousand men a day; of the Connecticut quota to this unfor-
tunate campaign, only one-tenth returned to the colony.
The death of Joseph Talcott occurred in the latter part of
1 74 1, and Jonathan Law, who was Deputy Governor at the
time, officiated as acting Governor during the interim ; he
was elected Governor in the spring of 1742, and was re-
elected each succeeding term till his death in 1751. Gover-
nor Law was born at Milford, Aug. 6, 1674, graduated
from Harvard College at the age of twenty-one, and for a
number of years was a member of the judicial bench of Con-
necticut. He was a strong conservative in his religious opin-
ions, and a steady opponent of the revivalists of the day. Na-
ture had endowed him with high talents and accomplish-
ments, which, with his acquaintance with civil and ecclesi-
367
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
astical subjects, placed him among the foremost men of the
colony.
The war with Spain gradually widened into a general
European contest. France, though at first pretending to
maintain neutrality, openly declared war against England on
the fourth of March, 1744. Before the news reached New
England, a French officer took possession of Canso, Nova
Scotia, and attempted to capture Port Royal, but was re-
pulsed by the provincial garrison. Louisbourg, on Cape
Breton, was one of the strongest fortified seaports on the At-
lantic coast and was a rendezvous for French privateers, who
preyed upon the trading and fishing vessels of New England.
Governor Shirley of Massachusetts, having been informed by
returning prisoners of war that it was protected only by a
small and dissatisfied garrison, conceived a scheme for its cap-
ture. The design was to dispatch an army of five thousand
troops to Canso, which was to assault the fortress in connec-
tion with a naval flotilla. The governor sought aid from
England; but the project was abandoned on account of the
heavy expenses, and also because in the event of its success,
the enterprise would redound to the glory of the mother
country rather than to the colonies. The waning of com-
merce and the destruction of the fishing and coasting busi-
ness caused the matter to be again agitated; but the colonies
outside of New England refused to take part in the enter-
prise. The Connecticut legislature agreed to furnish five
hundred men for the service, offering them a bounty of ten
pounds, and requiring them to furnish themselves with arms,
knapsacks, and blankets; these troops were divided into eight
companies and ordered to embark at New London, under the
protection of the colonial sloop of war "Defense." The
popularity of Sir William Pepperrell, the commander-in-
368
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
chief of the army, and of Deputy Governor Roger Wolcott,
second in command, led many of the best citizens of Mas-
sachusetts and Connecticut to enlist in the expedition. The
naval forces of the New England colonies consisted of twelve
vessels, — three snows, two sloops-of-war, two ships, one
brig, one brigantine and three small sloops; the naval com-
mander was Captain Ting; the entire armament, excepting
ten eighteen-pounders which were loaned by the province of
New York, was furnished by New England.
On the point of embarkation of the expedition, Governor
Shirley received intelligence that the English commodore
stationed at the West Indies, owing to the disablement of his
ships, would not co-operate with the flotilla. This did not
deter the governor from forwarding the campaign ; and dur-
ing the month of April the troops rendezvoused at Canso,
where, much to their surprise, they were joined by Commo-
dore Warren, with four ships of the line. He had been or-
dered by the home government to give all possible aid to the
success of the enterprise. After a consultation between the
military and naval commanders, it was decided to sail for
Louisbourg harbor, where the fleet arrived on the thirteenth
of April; the beleaguered fortress stood a siege of forty-
nine days, and capitulated on the seventeenth day of June,
1745, to the impoverished provincial army, which was great-
ly reduced from hardships and lack of ammunition. General
Pepperrell had already asked for recruits and fresh sup-
plies of ammunition, and Connecticut had responded by vot-
ing to raise 300 additional troops, offering the same induce-
ments as were given to those that first enlisted. The news of
the surrender of Louisbourg reached Boston on the third
of July, and was the occasion of much rejoicing among the
colonists, who by their combined efforts had inflicted on
369
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
France the first serious blow in the New World. The fort
was garrisoned by New England volunteers for eleven
months after its surrender, and more than 5,000 troops
shared in the capture and garrisoning of the fortress, of
which number Connecticut furnished about ijioo. To meet
the expenses incurred by the Louisbourg expedition, Con-
necticut made fresh issues of "new tenor" amounting to £80,-
000, which brought her whole emission for the war to the
enormous sum of £131,000 on a total tax valuation in 1743
of £900,000; these bills soon began to depreciate in value,
though one of the "new tenor" was equal to three and one
half of the "old tenor."
The success of the Louisbourg expedition stimulated the
desire of the English to subjugate Canada; while France, to
avenge her defeat, determined to devastate the entire At-
lantic coast of the English provinces. A colonial army of
7,200 troops was raised, of which New England furnished
5,300 men, 1,000 being from Connecticut; the General As-
sembly voted a bounty of £30 to each soldier, and if food
supplies could not be obtained, these were to be impressed.
The active arrangements to invade Canada were suspended
on receipt of news that a large French fleet was organized
to lay waste the seacoast; 6,000 of the New England militia
were brought to Boston to help defend the town, and
anxiously was the ocean scanned for the appearance of an
English fleet. Disasters attended the French squadron : losses
at sea, delay in the arrival of expected reinforcements, the
death (probably by suicide) of the two commanding of-
ficers, and the interception of false dispatches of the sailing
of the English fleet, caused them to return to France without
attempting to strike a blow.
The capture of Louisbourg and the unsuccessful attempt
370
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
upon the British colonies had prepared the way for peace;
a treaty was signed at Aix-la-Chapelle Oct. i8, 1748, which
for a time terminated the struggle between the French and
English in America. The English Parliament agreed to re-
imburse the colonies for the expenses incurred in their efforts
to subdue the F rench, and returned to the latter the fortress
of Louisbourg.
The Deputy Governor's position had been held during
Governor Law's administration by Roger Wolcott, a member
of the bench of Connecticut for over ten years, where he held
the office of Chief Justice of the Superior Court. Roger
Wolcott was born in Windsor, Jan. 4, 1679, and tradition
says that he did not attend a common school one day in his
life; in his youth he learned the trade of weaver, and on his
arrival at maturity he engaged in that business for himself,
and by great industry acquired a comfortable competency.
His first election as Governor occurred in the Spring of 175 1.
The predecessors of Wolcott under the Royal Charter — ex-
cepting Governor Treat, who had declined a re-election —
held the office from their first election until their death. Gov-
ernor Wolcott was elected for three terms; but owing to a
difficulty for which the colony was blamed, and which bore
the stigma of being due to official negligence, he lost his
third re-election. The trouble grew out of the fact that a
Spanish ship in distress put into the harbor of New Lon-
don, where she was robbed of half of her cargo ; the Crown,
on complaint of the Spanish ambassador, attempted to hold
the colony responsible for the loss, and blame for the wrong
conditions fell upon the chief executive. After his retire-
ment from political life, Governor Wolcott devoted his time
to literary pursuits, and lived to see his eighty-eighth birth-
day.
371
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
In response to letters from the Board of Trade and Plan-
tations, a meeting of commissioners from each colony met at
Albany in June 1754, to devise a general plan of union, to
prepare for defense against a common enemy, and to nego-
tiate leagues with the Indians in the King's name. The Con-
necticut commissioners were William Pitkin, Roger Wolcott,
Jr., and Elisha Williams. They were instructed to urge the
defenseless state of the provincial governments in America,
in view of the encroachments of the French and the waning
allegiance of the Indians; to beseech the King for protec-
tion and care, and to submit a statement of the great expenset
the colony had incurred during the late wars, which were far
in excess of those of the southern provinces, who had also
reaped a substantial benefit in the increase of their Indian
trade. The Commissioners were cautioned not to establish a
precedent by pledging the colony to any portion of future ex-
penses; they were to make the Indians no presents unless it
was sanctioned by the other provinces, and were to oppose
any measures of that character. Their influence was to be
used, in the event of raising troops, to see that the Connecti-
cut contingent should be attached to the eastern rather than
the western wing of the army; all their actions were subject
to the approval of the Assembly.
The royal governors were all in favor of a union of the
colonies; Benjamin Franklin visited Boston to confer with
Governor Shirley, who was favorably inclined towards the
plan, but differed with Franklin as to how it should be ef-
fected. Shirley desired it to be accomplished by a fiat of
the British government, and stated that he should immedi-
ately propose a scheme of union to the Ministry and Parlia-
ment, advocating a tax on the colonists. Franklin would
372
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
not consent to this method of forming a colonial union; he
wished the source of power to be with the people.
The Congress at Albany was attended by committees
from the assemblies of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
and the New England colonies. The principal object for as-
sembling the convention was the renewal of the treaty with
the Six Nations; but though this was accomplished, the In-
dians were not more than half satisfied, fearing that, for want
of unanimity among the colonies, they would be left to con-
tend alone against the P rench. The confederation and union
of the colonies for mutual defense was taken under considera-
tion, and a plan was introduced by Franklin.
The important features of this were that the general gov-
ernment of the colonies should be invested in a President-
General appointed and supported by the Crown, and a Gen-
eral Council elected for three years by the colonial assemblies,
to consist of not less than two nor more than seven members
from each province; these were to receive ten shillings per
diem for the session, and mileage at the rate of one day's
pay for every twenty miles traveled. The number of repre-
sentatives was to be governed by the contributions of each
province to the general treasury. The General Council was
to meet annually, the first meeting to be held at Philadel-
phia, and the length of the session was not to exceed six
weeks. A quorum was to consist of twenty-five members,
though each colony was to be represented. The President-
General's assent was required to all acts, and it was his duty
to see that they were executed. The General Council was to
have charge and direction of all matters pertaining to In-
dians, and to have the control over new settlements until they
were organized by the Crown; they were to raise soldiers,
and to commission officers on land and sea : but were not to
373
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
have the power of impressment, of building fortifications or
coast defenses, or of levying direct taxes or customs. The
laws passed by the General Council were to receive the sanc-
tion of the King in Council before being effective. These reso-
lutions, which contained the germ of the Articles of Confed-
eration and the Constitution of the United States, were
adopted ; the delegates from Connecticut being the only ones
dissenting.
The opposition of the Connecticut delegates represented
the general colonial feeling more accurately than the assent
of others. The colonies dreaded consolidation and the loss
of their cherished independence much worse than the French
and the Indians together; they objected to the veto of the
President-General as a little pinchbeck royalty, giving them
two kings instead of one, and the second likely to be much
the more unbearable; and most of all they resented the with-
drawal of the power to appoint and commission their own
military and naval officers — a patronage claim which nearly
wrecked the Revolution afterwards. Connecticut, in particu-
lar, having had a pure democracy, except for eighteen
months of a royal governor whom they regarded as legally
a mere usurper, would not endure the change. The
colonial orators assailed it without mercy, and the colony in-
structed its agent to use every means of defeating it before
the Council. The latter body spared them the pains, how-
ever, regarding it on their part as a long step towards a
colonial union which would annihilate their authority, and
disallowing the whole scheme. Thus the Crown thought the
President-General would be an agent of the colonies, the col-
onies that he would be an agent of the Crown.
An act of Parliament in 175 i forbade the issues of paper
currency except for taxes for the current year, or to be se-
374
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
cured by taxes payable In five years; and Connecticut by buy-
ing up Its outstanding "old tenor" obligations at eleven per
cent, of their face value, the enforcement of taxes, and the as-
sistance of £29,000 in coin from the English Parliament,
which she received In 1756 to reimburse her for her share of
expenses incurred during the late war, nearly liquidated the
£340,000 of her paper issue outstanding In 1751.
The successor of Governor Wolcott was Thomas Fitch,
who occupied the position of Deputy Governor during Wol-
cott's administrations. He was born in Norwalk in 1700,
and graduated from Yale College at 21. He became a li-
censed preacher; but studied law and began practice. He
became one of Connecticut's foremost lawyers, and when
a member of the Assembly was appointed on a committee
with Roger Wolcott, Jonathan Trumbull, and John Bulk-
ley to revise the statutes. The task fell entirely upon him,
and he devoted six years to the revision; it was published
in 1750, and its thoroughness received unlimited praise both
in America and England. He had been Chief Justice of the
Superior Court, and In the spring of 1754 was elected Gover-
nor, his subsequent re-elections covering twelve terms. Gov-
ernor Fitch was a candidate for a thirteenth term, but owing
to his apparent vacillation in reference to the Stamp Act was
defeated. Though strenuously opposed to the law, he took in
October 1765 an oath to enforce it, arousing an indignation
throughout the colony that resulted in his overwhelming de-
feat. This closed his public life, and he lived in retirement till
his death at 73, just before the Revolution.
375
CHAPTER XXII
Fourth Intercolonial War
IT is not necessary to detail the causes of the final strug-
gle between France and England for the possession of
the "hinterland" of the Northern Coast Settlements.
Neither nation at the outset had any idea of
ousting the other from its original basis; but France
was determined that the English settlements should not
spread west of the Alleghanies and colonize the Great Lake
region and the Mississippi basin. Having, therefore, planted a
chain of posts with admirable judgment at the vital points —
straits, carries and commanding stations in the heart of the
territory — she began a second line several miles east, to hem
the English settlements closely in. This meant war to a finish
as soon as the next great European struggle began ; and the
signal was given by Frederick the Great attempting to prey
on the chaotic Austrian F^mpire. All Europe flocked into
the field, England and France of course on opposite sides;
America was their stake. It seemed an even match, per-
haps with the advantage on the side of the French. It is easy
now to see that there could be but one result. French America
had no population to speak of — perhaps 65,000 in Canada
and half as much more elsewhere; it was only a set of forts,
and when one of them was captured there was an end to
French dominion in the district. Most of the French would
not emigrate, and the one class which would — the Hugue-
nots — were refused permission by the government. The Eng-
lish colonies, on the other hand, numbered over a million,
in solid ranks of communities, impossible to dispossess, and
sending out a steadily rolling tide of youths who must have
farms, be it French or Indians, wild beasts or devils, who
stood in the way. The French had the alliance in general of
the Indians, for the very reason which made the strength of
the English — that the English settlements crowded out the
379
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Indians, and the French trading posts did not; but if the In-
dian alliance had been any real strength, the Indians could
not have been thus crowded out, the entire Indian problem
would have been altogether different, and the United States
might be another Mexico or another India. In the first cam-
paign of 1755, Edward Braddock was made commander-in-
chief of the forces in America, and a number of colonial gov-
ernors met him at Alexandria to frame a plan of campaign.
Unluckily the colonies would not carry out the arrangements
made. The northern colonies displayed more zeal than the
southern in furnishing levies of troops and forwarding the
war preparations.
The conference organized three separate expeditions: one
against Fort Duquesne at the headwaters of the Ohio, anoth-
er to proceed against Niagara, and the third to attempt the
capture of Crown Point. The first met with a disastrous de-
feat in which Braddock was killed; the second, on hearing of
the disaster to the first, retreated without making an effort
to accomplish the undertaking to which it was assigned.
The Connecticut Assembly for contingent expenses issued
bills of credit amounting to £7,500, and raised a quota of
1,000 soldiers; this, according to her ratio of population,
was largely in excess of her sister colonies. She also recruited
for reserve service 500 additional volunteers; to equip and
pay these troops a new issue of bills of credit for £12,000,
at five per cent, interest, was emitted.
The first regiment of Connecticut troops was under Gen-
eral Phineas Lyman, and the second was commanded by
Elizur Goodrich; these regiments were assigned to the ex-
pedition to capture Crown Point, and General Lyman was
placed second in command, his senior officer being General
William Johnson of New York. The Connecticut troops ar-
380
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
rived at Albany at the end of June, when an advance was
made northwards; six weeks were spent on the Hudson and
a redoubt was erected at Fort Edward.
The army then proceeded to the southern part of Lake
George, where a commodious encampment was laid out; but
while the artillery and stores were promptly forwarded, no
attempt was made to fortify the camp. While engaged in
these labors, news was brought that the French contemplated
an attack on Fort Edward. A force of i,ooo men, under
Colonel Williams of Massachusetts, with Colonel Whiting of
Connecticut second in command, and two hundred Mohawk
allies, were ordered to intercept the enemy. The English
force was ambushed by the French and slaughtered, with the
loss of their commander; but Colonel Whiting rallied the
troops and made a successful retreat to Lake George.
The noise of the battle was heard at the camp, and Gen-
eral Johnson made preparations for a general engagement;
temporary breastworks were erected. Early in the conflict
Johnson received a slight wound and left the field, the com-
mand devolving on General Lyman. For five hours the bat-
tle raged incessantly; the FVench regulars were nearly an-
nihilated, and their commander, Ludwig August von Dies-
kau, received a wound which shortened his life. This was
one of the fiercest conflicts then recorded in colonial history.
The victory stimulated the colonies to fresh exertions and on
Johnson's request for reinforcements, Connecticut in ten days
raised, mustered, and equipped two regiments of 750 men
each, commanded by Samuel Talcott and Elihu Chauncey.
One of Talcott's second lieutenants was Israel Putnam. Now
for the first time in the field Connecticut had in active
service 2,300 men. Made wise by the battle, a substantial
fort was erected on the site of the camp and named William
381
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Henry. After heavily garrisoning both forts, military op-
erations were abandoned for the winter and the balance of
the army returned home.
The operations of the Crown Point expedition had been
conducted wholly by the provincial army; and while not a
single French fort had been subjugated, the army had pene-
trated into a virgin wilderness, built two forts, constructed
boats, bateaux, and military roads. They gained a complete
victory over the enemy, for which, though he had performed
but a small part In the engagement, Johnson was knighted.
The real victor of the battle was disregarded by the home
government, and has hardly been recognized by historians.
The man who for five hours commanded the provincial rank
and file, that battled against the French regulars and their
Indian allies, was Phineas Lyman, a native of Connecticut
and a lawyer by profession; not bred to a military life, but
during the engagement in the thickest of the fight, and in
front of the breastworks Issuing his orders with wisdom and
coolness. He engaged in other military expeditions that
redounded to his credit; but his later life was shrouded in
darkness and gloom, and he became broken In spirit and
mind.
After the death of Braddock, the chief command of the
English forces In America was given to Governor Shirley,
who met the colonial governors at New York in December
1755, and military movements were planned for the follow-
ing year. An expedition was to proceed against Quebec and
French lake fortresses, cutting off the communications of
the western outposts and compelling their surrender; these
plans, however, were overturned by the English Parliament,
which decided to consolidate all the military forces in America
under one authority, and appointed John Campbell Earl of
382
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Loudon commander-in-chief, with powers of a Viceroyship.
General James Abercrombie was placed second in command;
forty British and German officers were commissioned to dis-
cipline and organize the colonial army, which was augmented
by British regulars. This was followed by an open declara-
tion of war on the part of Great Britain, on May 17, 1756;
and similar action was taken by France.
The attempt to capture Crown Point was to be renewed,
and the army rendezvoused at Albany. When General Aber-
crombie arrived with his British regulars, the military force
amounted to ten thousand troops, of which Connecticut had
furnished 2,500, double her quota. The intermingling of the
provincial regiments with the British regulars agitated the
vexed question of colonial troops being placed under the com-
mand of British officers ; this was finally settled by the Amer-
icans agreeing to proceed with the capture of Crown Point,
while the regulars were to be left behind to garrison the forts.
So bitter was the Connecticut contingent at the removal of
their officers that if this compromise had not been reached, a
large number would have deserted their colors and quit the
service; this arrangement was vetoed on the arrival of the
Earl of Loudon, who granted the request of the New Eng-
land troops to retain their officers on their agreeing to co-
operate with the British soldiers.
Loudon, with an army capable of subjugating Canada in
one season, remained inactive at Albany, passing the time in
slandering the provincial troops and threatening attacks on
the French, until the summer and fall passed away. At the
commencement of winter, after strengthening Forts Edward
and William Henry and garrisoning them with regulars, the
provincials returned home for the cold season. Throughout
Connecticut the people were indignant at the bad policy and
383
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
mismanagement of the campaign, which had started out so
ostentatiously.
It was In 1756, according to the following extract, that
the Father of his Country first placed his foot on Connecti-
cut's soil. Joshua Hempstead, a resident of New London,
in his diary which dates from Sept. 8, 171 1, to Nov. 3, 1758,
and which was published by the New London County His-
torical Society In 1901, says under date 1756: "Colin Wash-
ington Is Returned from Boston & gone to Long Island Pow-
er's sloop & 2 Boats to carry 6 horses & his Retnue all bound
to Virginia he hath been to advise or be Directed by Gover-
nor Shirley who Is Chief General of the American forces."
This visit of Washington was to obtain a decision from Gen-
eral Shirley, to establish a precedent of rank between himself
and a Maryland captain; the journey was undertaken with a
brother officer and an aide-de-camp, on horseback, attended
by black servants in livery. While Governor Shirley decided
that Washington was the senior officer, the latter was disap-
pointed in not obtaining a royal military commission; his
visit was extended to ten days in Boston, where he visited the
Massachusetts legislature and heard the plans for military
operations discussed.
The British Parliament made great preparations to prose-
cute the war In the spring of 1757, and Connecticut brought
forth her full complement of soldiers for field duty. The
British Viceroy, instead of following up the Crown Point ex-
pedition, decided to attack Loulsbourg, and sailed from New
York for Halifax with an army of 6,000 troops, of which
Connecticut's apportionment was 1,400; he was joined at
Halifax by a formidable English fleet, but like all of Lou-
don's previous efforts, this inept expedition returned to New
York without striking a blow against the enemy.
384
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
In the meanwhile the French had been active under the in-
trepid Louis Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm de St. Veran,who
withdrew his forces from Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and ad-
joining stations, and rallying his Indian allies descended on
Fort William Henry with 8,000 troops. General Webb was
in command of the English forces, and under the escort of
Major Israel Putnam with 200 men, made a journey of in-
spection from Fort Edward to Fort William Henry, On ar-
riving at the latter place, Putnam with eighteen volunteers
patrolled the lake, and observing a hostile army approaching,
reported to General Webb, expressing the opinion that an
assault was intended on Fort William Henry. To the sur-
prise of Putnam, he received orders from his commanding of-
ficer to return to Fort Edward without delay; this inex-
plicable action of General Webb, resting with 4,000 men at
Fort Edward, extending to Colonel Monro no assistance dur-
ing the siege of Fort William Henry, is unparalleled in
American history. The final capitulation of the fort, with
honorable terms granted to its brave defenders, its destruc-
tion by fire and the horrible massacre — which it is claimed
was beyond the control of Montcalm, but which decent care
and prevision of his would have prevented — are assignable
to the mismanagement of English officers, who owed their po-
sition to family or court influence. The victory of Montcalm
left the northern frontier unprotected, and there were fears
that Albany would be attacked; reinforcements were asked
for, and Connecticut furnished an additional 5,000 soldiers.
The army, though It now consisted of 20,000 men, passed the
balance of the year in inactivity; the disastrous failure had
caused discouragement in England.
The campaign of 1758 was opened by a convention at
Hartford of colonial governors of New England and New
385
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
York, to meet the Earl of Loudon. The commander-in-
chief's overtures for troops for a new campaign were re-
ceived coldly by the colonial officials, and they replied that
before troops and supplies could be promised, they would
be obliged to consult their respective legislatures; this appar-
ent subterfuge angered the Earl, but he was soon in receipt
of news that owing to a change in the E'nglish ministry, he
had been superseded by General James Abercrombie. At the
head of the new English ministry was William Pitt, the
"Great Commoner," who, in correspondence with the pro-
vincial assemblies, urged a co-operation to retrieve the dis-
astrous losses of the previous year; he stated that his Ma-
jesty would send a fleet and an army to defend the rights of
his American subjects, and while not making any arbitrary
demands, requested that a force of 20,000 men should be
raised by the colonies.
The wisdom of Pitt was exhibited, not so much by for-
warding British soldiers as by furnishing them with able com-
manders, in place of those who had in the past shown neither
capacity nor spirit in conducting the warfare. General Aber-
crombie was to have the assistance of the brave and amiable
Lord George Augustus Howe, who, by his fraternization
with the colonists, was to endear himself to the American
people. Among the other English officers sent to this coun-
try were the able and valiant Jeffrey Amherst and James
Wolfe, who were to lead divisions. The Scottish general
John Forbes was to have an important command ; and a reg-
iment was led by the Irish colonel Richard Montgomery,
whose brave death at the assault on Quebec in 1775, during
the Revolutionary War, has been made the subject of one of
the masterpieces of Connecticut's greatest artist.
At a session of the General Assembly held the previous
386
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
year, Ebenezer Silliman, Jonathan Trumbull, and William
Wolcott were appointed a committee to confer with a like
representation from other colonies, to devise means for closer
union amongst the provinces in this crisis. The Governor
was instructed to inform the English commander-in-chief that
the colony was prepared for an early and successful cam-
paign; Connecticut with her usual promptness responded to
the Prime Minister's request for a provincial army of 20,000
men, by raising four regiments of twelve companies each, ag-
gregating five thousand troops. The volunteers were paid,
in addition to their wages, a bounty of £4, and were obliged
to equip themselves for the field. The regimental command-
ing officers were Phineas Lyman, Nathan Whiting, Eliphalet
Dyer, and John Reed. A colonel's pay was £15 per month,
and he was allowed £40 for supplying his table and support-
ing a chaplain.
The disasters of the past two years had depopulated the
colony of able-bodied men, and oppressed the people with an
accumulation of taxes. New bills of credit were issued for
£30,000 at five per cent, interest; a sinking fund was cre-
ated for their redemption, by levying a tax of eight pence on
the pound, and an additional tax of nine pence was ordered, to
pay the soldiers on their return from the war. The Assembly
also appointed a committee to borrow £25,000, to be paid in
two years, and a tax was levied of five pence on the pound
for its liquidation.
The English ministry planned three campaigns: General
Amherst, in conjunction with a fleet, was to capture Louis-
bourg; Lord Howe, under the direction of the commander-
in-chief, was again to attempt the subjugation of Ticon-
deroga and Crown Point, while General Forbes was to re-
387
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
cover the Ohio Valley. The Louisbourg army consisted of
16,000 men, of whom 9,000 were colonial troops.
It was on the morning of July 6 that the march upon Ti-
conderoga was begun. The advance guard of the French
was soon reached and engaged, and Lord Howe, marching
in front, inquired of Major Putnam the cause of the firing;
the Connecticut ranger answered, "I know not, but with your
Lordship's leave I will see." The nobleman insisted on ac-
companying them, and Putnam with one hundred of his men
marched in the direction of the enemy; the French were soon
met, and at the first fire his Lordship fell dead. Putnam and
his little party, assisted by other small companies, engaged in
a general combat which resulted in the enemy's retreat, with
great loss of life and leaving many captives in the hands of
the victors; but the death of Lord Howe cast such a gloom
over the army that the intended attack was abandoned.
A second attempt was made on Ticonderoga on July 8 ;
this also was ill managed, and the generalship displayed was
so very poor that though the British regulars charged in solid
phalanx time after time, they were repulsed with heavy losses.
The platoon formation of the regulars caused them to be
mowed down like wheat before the scythe; while if the pro-
vincials had been placed at the front of the line of attack,
their knowledge of woodcraft and Indian fighting might
have changed the result. They were in the rear of the regu-
lars, and becoming excited and maddened by the shock of
the battle, in their hurry and excitement began firing on their
British comrades, doing considerable execution before they
could be made aware of their mistake; Putnam, who acted
as aide, was a great help in checking the impetuosity of the
colonials and restoring order. The carnage among the in-
vading army was frightful, and the losses sustained by the
388
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Connecticut troops v^ery severe. There were various weak
points in the enemy's extended front, which Putnam and other
colonial officers urged Abercrombie to attack. The fort
could have been overcome by a siege, but the commander-in-
chief, with the same conceit and stubbornness which had
ruined Braddock, would listen to no advice, and sounded the
alarm for retreat; his management of the conflict gave him in
the army the sobriquet of "Mrs. Nabbycombe." How many
of the Connecticut troops were engaged in this action it would
be hard to state ; the commands of Lyman, Fitch, and Woos-
ter were in that vicinity, Putnam belonged to the third regi-
ment, and it may be inferred that three or four of the Con-
necticut regiments were under fire.
A reconnaissance before Ticonderoga, made by a detailed
force under Majors Rogers and Putnam, fell into an ambus-
cade in which the English were defeated, Putnam being taken
to Montreal as prisoner; the campaign of 1758 ended with
the English still outside the walls of Ticonderoga. Their
other expeditions had met with success ; the fortress of Louis-
bourg had surrendered to General Amherst, while by the
capture of Fort Duquesne the French power had been broken
in the west; the capture of these two strategic points paved
the way to the impregnable fortress of Quebec, the key to the
successful termination of the war.
At the opening of the following year, the British ministry,
having the seacoast and the southern frontier already won,
were prepared to invade Canada. Amherst superseded Aber-
crombie in command of the army, and took charge of the
Eastern forces, with orders to drive the enemy from Ticon-
deroga and Crown Point, and to effect a junction with Gen-
eral Wolfe, who was to lay siege to Quebec; a third expedi-
tion was to attack Fort Niagara, and then proceed by way
389
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to capture
Montreal.
The English premier called upon the colonies to raise
another army of 20,000. The Connecticut Assembly, while
it received Pitt's communication with enthusiasm, felt that
the colony had been so depleted of moneys and men by the
former campaigns as to be in no condition to raise and equip
5,000 more. After a long debate it was decided that 3,600
men should be raised for the service; this was increased 400
by the zeal of Governor Fitch, and on General Amherst's
requesting additional troops another thousand was raised,
thereby completing the complement requested by the prime
minister. A bounty of £7 was given to each volunteer; and
if they were veterans, pay was allowed from the preceding
December. The troops were mustered into four regiments,
and Phineas Lyman, Nathan Whiting, David Wooster, and
Eleazer Fitch were made colonels; Israel Putnam had been
exchanged after a captivity of three months, and was com-
missioned lieutenant-colonel in the fourth regiment.
The colonial treasury being exhausted, bills of credit for
£50,000, bearing five per cent, interest, were emitted, and to
liquidate them a tax of ten pence on a pound was levied. The
energy of the colonies was aroused, and they vied with each
other to lend every assistance to Amherst.
The English army advanced in good order, and on the 22d
of July appeared before Ticonderoga ; the French after a lit-
tle resistance blew up their magazine and retreated to Crown
Point. The latter was evacuated Aug. i, and the French
troops took refuge in a fort at the northern extremity of
Lake Champlain. These bloodless victories, at points which
on former unsuccessful expeditions had proved occasions for
the expenditure of blood and money, showed Amherst that
390
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
the French were concentrating nothward ; and he moved cau-
tiously. Instead of following up his hitherto successful cam-
paign, he stopped to rehabilitate the fortresses at Ticonder-
oga and Crown Point, and to construct a fleet to operate on
Lake Champlain; the hardships endured by the Connecticut
troops during the summer months spent on the lake are in-
describable.
The western wing of the army had been successful in cap-
turing Fort Niagara; the net was rapidly closing around
the French. The final struggle took place on the plains of
Abraham, putting Quebec in the hands of the English. Vari-
ous attempts were m.ade by the French to recapture this
stronghold; but the timely arrival of an English fleet in the
spring of 1760 ended the struggle. Even had the French
regained Quebec they could not have held it.
The victories of the past year had stimulated the English
ministry, and they were determined to complete the subjuga-
tion of Canada. The colonies were also ambitious to extin-
guish French rule in America ; for over half a century
they had planned expeditions for the capture of Quebec and
Montreal, and now that the former was in the hands of the
English, the resources of the colonies were to be utilized in
driving the hated popish rival from her possessions in the
New World. Connecticut responded bravely to the call of
the English ministry for troops, and the legislature voted to
raise four regiments of twelve companies, 5,000 in all; these
were to be paid and clothed from the treasury of the colony,
and the same commanding officers were reappointed, Phineas
Lyman receiving the rank of Major-General.
Amherst opened the campaign of 1760 by marching over-
land to Oswego, where he embarked his army for the attack
upon Montreal. On arriving at Oswegatchie, where the
391
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
river channel is narrow, two armed v^essels were sighted,
obstructing the passage; and the English, being in open
boats, were exposed to their fire. Amherst was nonplussed;
and soliciting the assistance of Putnam, the latter undertook,
with i,ooo men in fifty bateaux, to board the ships. Strip-
ping his men to the waist, Putnam began the attack; the
enemy was dazed by this mode of warfare, and one ship was
run aground, while the other struck her colors. A fort situ-
ated on the island was still an impediment to the army's pro-
gress, and Amherst again requested Putnam's assistance; the
doughty hero by the aid of fascines and temporary bridges
effected a landing on the island, when the enemy capitulated
without firing a gun. Thus, through the bravery and wisdom
of a provincial officer, a bloodless entrance into Canada was
effected. Early in September, Amherst arrived at Montreal;
a union was effected with the other divisions of the army, and
all the French possessions in Canada passed under the domi-
nation of the British Crown.
The conquest of Canada did not close the war, and in the
spring of 1761 another requisition for troops was made on
the colonies. The prime minister asked for two-thirds of
the number of former levies; and the Connecticut Assembly
immediately raised 2,300 men, whom they equipped and
placed in two regiments under the command of Phineas Ly-
man and Nathan Whiting. These recruits were used in plac-
ing in a state of perfect defense all the forts and posts that
had fallen into the hands of the English; they built new forti-
fications, repaired old roads, built new ones from fort to fort
and from settlement to settlement, erected houses and bar-
racks for the garrisons, and in a word fixed a firm military
and civil order on the conquests. The labors thus performed
392
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
by Connecticut troops are as worthy of commemoration as
the part taken in former campaigns by their predecessors.
At the close of the year's campaign a body of provincials,
with British regulars, assisted in the reduction of the French
possessions in the West Indies. The assembly had ordered in
1 76 1 an emission of £45,000 in bills of credit, bearing the
usual rate of interest, and had created a sinking fund by a
tax of five pence on the pound; they also levied an extra tax
of the same amount to pay the troops.
Though the war in America had eventually closed favora-
bly for England, her campaigns on the European continent
had proved unsatisfactory: Spain had become the ally of
France, the Kingdom of Hanover was in the hands of the
enemy, and Great Britain was engaged either directly or in-
directly in war with all the great Continental powers of Eu-
rope. England's position was such, notwithstanding her suc-
cess in America, that if France and her allies should be vic-
torious in Europe, the expenses and exertions of the colonies
would amount to naught. In this exigency the mother coun-
try was obliged to call upon the provinces for assistance. A
division of troops was recruited in 1762, consisting of 500
from New York, 800 from New Jersey, and 1,000 from
Connecticut; the chief command was given to Major-Generai
Phineas Lyman, and the troops were ordered to proceed to
Havana. Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam, who was in command
of General Lyman's regiment, with 500 of his men were
wrecked upon the rocky shores of Cuba ; but they were res-
cued and conveyed in safety to Havana. Of the 1,000 troops
that left their Connecticut homes, sickness so thinned their
ranks that but a handful ever returned.
The colony, to equip the West Indies expedition, issued
£65,000 in bills of credit payable in five years. The dis-
393
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
bursements for the fourth intercolonial war had caused the
emission of £350,000 in bills of credit, all of which seem to
have been paid at maturity; there was no legal-tender clause
in connection with the issue, and the payment was based on
lawful money. The standard of values had been established
in England, for that country and her provinces, in the early
part of the eighteenth century, by a table of values of the
current foreign coins, and was known as "proclamation
money" ; this created a coin redemption, which preserved the
equilibrium of indebtedness on a special basis throughout
the monetary world.
Towards the close of the year 1762, preliminaries of peace
were signed at Fontainebleau, and on the 3d of February of
the following year, the Treaty of Paris was publicly ratified
by the contending powers; by the provisions of this treaty,
all the French possessions in North America were ceded to
either England or Spain,
394
CHAPTER XXIII
The Blue Laws
THIS phrase, applied to the supposed legal code
of New Haven Colony during its brief ex-
istence, has its chief currency (though not, as
generally supposed, its origin) from an
anonymous "General History of Connecti-
cut," published at London in 178 1, before the close of the
Revolution. The author was Samuel Peters, a native of
Hebron in this State, grandnephew of the famous Hugh
Peters, a graduate of Yale, who took orders in England in
1760. On his return to America, he was put in charge of
the Church of England parish in Hebron. His position
naturally placed him in antagonism to the Congregational
establishment, to which he was outspoken in dislike; as
a Loyalist, he could not escape the harrying which befell his
class from the nationalists, but he aggravated it by political
letters to parties in New York and England. He was warned
to abstain from his course, but sturdily maintained his ground
till he was personally assaulted by the "Sons of Liberty," and
forced to fly to England in fear of worse treatment. There
he wrote his "History," as by "A Gentleman of the Prov-
ince"; with few sources of material except a very inaccurate
memory and almost equally inaccurate notes, and neither de-
sire nor capacity to employ better ones; largely a mass of
credulous gossip, blundered copying, and occasional mis-
chievous invention. The volume would now be a mere for-
gotten antiquarian curio, but for its alleged abstract of New
Haven Colony legislation, which has given it a vigorous and
acrid immortality. In 1829, when a new generation had be-
gun to swing wide from the Puritan moorings, and to wel-
come rather than reprobate discreditable portraiture of their
ancestors, a reprint was issued; and in 1877, when original
copies were bringing enormous sums, one of the authors'
397
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
descendants published another, ostensibly and oddly "to de-
fend his ancestor from the calumny heaped upon him by the
historians of Connecticut."
No other work ever published has had so curious a fate.
It seems to have had three objects, none of which, even if
some are not especially clerical, need be judged too harshly:
in the main, to excite commiseration and regard for himself
as a martyr to his loyalty, and obtain a better Church living;
secondly, to retaliate on his political persecutors and religious
tormentors; thirdly, to hoax the English, who like their de-
scendants accepted uncritically anything concerning America.
Only this last explanation accounts for the remarkable story
about the Connecticut River "Narrows" at Bellows Falls
("two hundred miles from the Sound," he says, which of
course is not a Connecticut location), where the river runs
so violently through a gorge that you cannot force a crowbar
into it; and those amazing members of the Connecticut
fauna, the whappernocker (i. e. "whopper-thumper," or huge
lie — we can imagine his keen delight in a story whose name
embodied the information that it was a hoax, yet would not
be unriddled) , and the cuba. As these were of no service for
self-interest or spite, we are shut down to the theory that he
wished to test English credulity; and this must have been a
considerable factor even in his sarcastic inventions or dis-
tortions of colonial laws. To consider him, as is often done,
a revengeful renegade, deliberately slandering his native
land, is not only unjust but ungraphic, and indicates a de-
ficient sense of humor: it would be much nearer the truth to
call him a very American practical joker, trying to combine
amusement with business. The first object (bettering his
condition) failed. But the other two succeeded, to a de-
gree that would have astounded himself : that the very chil-
398
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
dren of the people he was libeling (for though the "laws"
were of the older New England, and only one long extinct
colony of that, he distinctly says that similar laws still prevail
throughout the newer) should accept his most imaginative
statements as literal truth, would make his spirit beam with
sardonic enjoyment. The reason is the swift emancipation of
the present century alike from the beliefs and the social needs
of their forefathers; the consequent exaggeration of the one
and its social outcome into a gloom and forbiddingness much
worse than the reality, and hence a credulity concerning sto-
ries of their "blueness" which more than matches the Eng-
lish; and a blank ignorance of the other which issues in a
glib contempt for them not intellectually respectable. The
word "children" above is used advisedly: the writer was in-
structed in the worst of the "Blue Laws" as accurate state-
ments of fact, when a child, by a grandmother born only a
few years after Peters' book appeared, and of an imme-
morially New England family.
But it must be stated here that the nature of the "Blue
Laws" cited by Peters is much misunderstood; indeed, it is
very doubtful if one in a hundred of those who either ac-
cept or denounce them have ever read them. Most of their
use in current arguments, either as missiles or in rebuttal,
is confined to two or three items. They are supposed in gen-
eral to be almost entirely discreditable to the colony, and by
the minority to have been invented as such. The fact is that
the greater number are true (though not always of New
Haven), and perfectly reasonable and natural. A few of
them are apparently the private prejudices of extremists, cited
as actual statutes. Some of them are the common legisla-
tion of all civilized communities, and it is impossible to dis-
cover any point whatever in Peters' citation, as a means of
399
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
discrediting his foes. Others are the results of attempts at
social censorship or sumptuary legislation which is now ad-
mitted to be unwise, but which every advanced society on
earth has tried again and again. Many are made to seem
examples of fanaticism or folly in various ways: sometimes
by inventing trivial or ludicrous applications of reasonable
laws, which might be made by fussy bigots — as barbarous
and silly a "blue code" as one could wish might be made out
of the present statute book by the same process ; sometimes by
parading laws universal in Independent states as disloyal
usurpations In a colony; sometimes by distortion and misap-
plication ; and as a whole, by asserting that the most savage
punishments were inflicted for the lightest offenses. In detail,
to be sure, he does not generally misstate the penalties ; but
his statement that the "vast multitude . . . were all
sanctified with excommunication, confiscation, fines, banish-
ments, whippings, cutting off the ears, burning the tongue,
and death," conveyed an Impression of far greater severity
than was the fact, and remained In the minds of those who
did not examine them itemwise. The curious defense is
made for him that such punishments were actually on the
New Haven code. So they were on all other English codes ;
but would Peters have stated — as he might with more truth
— that they were the common penalties In England for petty
offenses ? We need not suppose that this was deliberate false-
hood, however: as will be noted later, he accepted a tra-
dition which he had no means of verifying, though it Is prob-
ably doing him no Injustice to say that he would have ap-
plied no critical methods to it had he possessed the power.
It was long supposed by scholars that the bulk of the list
was Invented outright by Peters; but the whole controversy
has been placed on a different footing within a few years by
400
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Rev. Walter F. Prince, who has proved that Peters took
most of them from Neal's "History of New England," — a
well-reputed work, though sometimes accepting stories
against the Puritans with too little analysis. The choice of
details, however, was obviously made for purposes of detrac-
tion; and the further grievance remains that he should
have loaded them all on a colony whose actual code was
milder than most of the others, whose actual practice shows
less bloodshed if more social and meddlesomeness, and to
which a good half of the alleged enactments did not pertain.
It is certain, however, that New Haven had that reputation
long before Peters' time, and that he did not even invent the
phrase "Blue Laws" (which in fact he misunderstood, as
he defines it "Bloody Laws," instead of "Over-strict Social
Laws"), nor probably its application to New Haven. This
is not so wonderful when we remember that the irksome daily
interference with private liberty, which affected all, would
strike those used to a freer system much more keenly than an
occasional severe sentence, which was consistent with the feel-
ings of the time; and would create an impression of uniform
harshness in all departments. New Haven certainly at-
tempted as did no other colony to put the Mosaic code into
practical effect; and its discordance with modern society
drove the magistrates into severity which struck even out-
siders in full sympathy with their purpose.
The "Blue Laws," in Peters' version, are forty-five in
number, as follows :
I. "The Governor and Magistrates convened in General
Assembly are the supreme power under God of this independ-
ent Dominion." True : the New Haven Colony was founded
and managed purely as "under God" (through His revealed
word), without acknowledgment of the English Crown; and
401
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
lost its independence partly for that reason. The charge
was expected to horrify English readers, but need not dis-
turb Americans.
2. "From the determination of the Assembly no appeal
shall be made." True of all New England; and again, a
much graver offense in English eyes than ours, which can see
that many powerful offenders would have gone unpunished
if they could have systematically taken their cases over to
England. The English government wished to establish a
regular appeal to the King in Council; the colonies would
not allow it, and heavily fined any one who attempted it;
nor ought they to have allowed it, as it would have made
colonial justice and order nugatory to a large extent. This
was merely one branch of the general fact that the home gov-
ernment knew too little of the colonies' affairs to have any
right to manage them.
3. "The Governor is amenable to the voice of the people."
Of course, in a democracy. Peters seems to be aiming at
exciting English horror of levelers.
4. "The Governor shall have only a single vote in de-
termining any question, except a casting vote when the As-
sembly may be equally divided." Most likely true, though
not quite demonstrably. Peters' point is that in this leveling
democracy, the chief magistrate has no veto and is at the
mercy of the rabble.
5. "The Assembly of the People shall not be dismissed by
the Governor, but shall dismiss itself." How else, in a dem-
ocratic representative system where the governor is only an
elected representative like the rest? To give him power of
prorogation would be giving a petty tyrant the power from
which, even In a king, the English people revolted.
6. "Conspiracy against this Dominion shall be punished
402
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
with death." True of New Haven and Massachusetts, the
latter shrewdly defining it as equivalent to conspiracy against
the Crown. All independent communities have the same law,
from the obvious right of self-defense. Peters wishes to
imply that it was uusurpation of the Crown's sole right, and
an assertion of independence.
7. "Whoever says there is a power and jurisdiction above
and over this Dominion shall suffer death and loss of prop-
erty." Apparently pure fiction; either an extravagant cor-
ollary from the punishments imposed on the appellants
from colonial jurisdiction (see No. 2), and his consistent as-
sumption that any punishment was imposed on any offense at
will, or more probably a transference from Revolutionary
mob-law to the early statute-books. Peters had seen and ex-
perienced so much personal violence and confiscation for up-
holding English supremacy, that he perhaps thought it a
venial invention to make it substantive colonial law from the
outset.
8. "The judges shall determine controversies without a
j-ury." With the long and bitter English fight for jury trial,
this was well calculated to incense them against colonial law-
lessness and tyranny. It was true of New Haven, and a per-
fectly legitimate experiment, though open to grave abuses
and doomed to failure. Judged by its fruits, there is no evi-
dence that life and liberty were less safe in New Haven
than the other New England colonies; and in the witchcraft
matter it certainly seems to have saved much innocent blood,
cultivated magistrates being on the whole less liable to panic
superstition than the masses. As a fact, meddlesomeness
and prurience seem to have been more characteristic of the
New Haven jurisdiction than excessive severity, despite its
early reputation. Probably the system changed the distribu-
403
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
tion of injustice rather than its volume. This generation is
not so infatuated with jury trials that it cannot afford to be
fair to others who were even less so.
9. "Whoever attempts to change or overturn this Do-
minion shall suffer death." This is merely No. 6 in another
shape. We shall meet with a number of these repetitions, to
increase the apparent sum of iniquity.
10. "No one shall be a freeman or give a vote unless he
be converted, and a member in full communion of one of
the churches allowed in this Dominion." True of New Haven
and early Massachusetts, and the very foundation of a theoc-
racy. This age is out of sympathy with such a system, and
we can see now that it was foredoomed to failure; but the
experiment was worth trying. It is true that states cannot
be operated on moral canons; but the fact is nothing to
rejoice over, nor opprobrious to those who hoped they could.
1 1. "No man shall hold office who is not found [sound?]
in the faith and faithful to this Dominion ; and whoever
gives a vote to such a person shall pay a fine of £1 ; for a
second offense he shall be disfranchised." Not New Haven
law, but Massachusetts, and more severe, being five pounds
instead of one; but the disfranchisement was not statutory,
being in the discretion of the magistrates. The first clause is
only a corollary a fortiori from No. 10: to forbid dissenters
to vote and allow them to hold office would be grotesque.
The others are only means of enforcing the first.
12. "Each freeman to swear by the blessed God to bear
true allegiance to this Dominion, and that Jesus is the only
King." The first clause is true and proper (though Peters
instances it as a proof of colonial disloyalty and usurpation),
the second pure fiction. It is alleged in Peters' defense that
as the New Haven code professed to be founded on the law
404
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
of God, and expressly acknowledged Jesus as the only medi-
ator, the oath amounted in substance to the declaration above.
One shudders to think of the statutes which might be evolved
from any code by such constructive logic, plus a lively imag-
ination.
13. "No Quaker or dissenter from the established wor-
ship of this Dominion shall be allowed to give a vote for the
election of magistrates or any other office." This is No. 10
restated. The end involves the means, toward theocracy as
other things; but it will be noted that these means are cut
into bits and each made a separate grievance.
14. "No food or lodging shall be afforded to a Quaker,
Adamite, or other heretic." True of several New England
colonies. Their justification has been dealt with elsewhere.
Those colonies were intended as great private clubs, — com-
munities based on acceptance of a certain ideal. It is now
agreed to have been an impossible scheme, — it is part of the
weakness of a religious state that heresy is treason; but that
does not make it less unreasonable to blame them for at-
tempting it, and therefore excluding avowed foes not even
seeking admission on business grounds, but purely to over-
throw their hosts. Nor did the sectaries confine them-
selves to quiet disbelief: they were aggressive and even in-
decent assailants of the constituted order.
15. "If any person turns Quaker, he shall be banished and
not suffered to return on pain of death." This is a heroic
muddle of Massachusetts laws, enacted after it was can-
kered with hate and terror; one banishing foreign Quakers
on pain of death if they returned, another banishing Quaker
converts and then if they returned treating them as foreign
Quakers. New Haven imposed no death penalty on them.
16. "No priest shall abide in this Dominion; he shall be
405
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
banished, and suffer death on his return. Priests may be
seized by any one without a warrant." No Roman Catholic
priest, of course. This was in substance the Massachusetts
law of 1700. Remembering the stream of Huguenot refugees
from the Dragonnades coming into Massachusetts, the late
career of James II., and the English enactments of the times
for the security of Ireland, it is not necessary to excuse them
for precautions. Their knowledge, fears, and reasoning
were of their age, not ours; and England shared them.
17. "No one to cross a river but with an authorized fer-
ryman." That is, not with an ////authorized one. They might
cross with their own boats on business, but not on pleasure
parties or for hire. We need not defend a sparse community
for giving a monopoly of a needful business for a time to its
licensees; but for this, many places could have had no ferries,
and the greed of a few would have been the common harm
of all.
18. "No one shall run on the Sabbath day, or walk in his
garden or elsewhere except reverently to and from meeting."
This is a good example of Peters' "inferential" statutes, and
distorted ones. Both for religious reasons and social ones,
the overwhelming mass of New Englanders wished to keep
the Sabbath a reverently observed and quiet day; and as it
offended and annoyed them to see it desecrated, and as a few
noisy people could disturb the quiet of a whole community,
they passed laws for its quiet, of which if nagging they would
be the chief and almost only victims. It seems to be the cur-
rent opinion that they passed these laws solely to torment
other people, — the other people whom they are reproached
for making laws to shut out if possible, — without affecting
themselves. They were in fact the whole community, were
making laws to bind themselves, and should have been the
406
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
best judges whether the laws were oppressive. When they
became so, they swiftly lost their edge. As to the statutes
above, the first clause illustrates what was said in the prefa-
tory remarks. "Running" was only one of a series of speci-
fications of noisy and disorderly acts, — screaming, horn-
blowing, etc., — which if performed near a meeting-house and
disturbing worship, could be complained of. Exactly the
same thing is indictable as a nuisance today: quiet people
do not disturb noisy ones, but noisy people do disturb quiet
ones. Why should it be assumed that the Puritans had no
common-sense and no respectable motives? Peters in this
was at least no worse than a large class of writers and readers
at present. The unavowed postulate of all is that the
colonists were foolish bigots to have any Sunday laws.
As to the second clause, for the reasons above, the law for-
bade "unnecessary walking in the streets or fields," that is,
general pleasuring. It never forbade any one to walk about
his house-yard, nor is there any reason to suppose that even
under the elastic discretion of the magistrates any one was
ever punished for it. They were New England farmers, and
walked about their own.
19. "No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, sweep
house, cut hair, or shave, on the Sabbath day." This is a
flagrant example of what we noted above, — drawing out all
the frivolous or ludicrous possibilities of a rational law, and
asserting it to be part of the statute. It would be no diffi-
cult matter to burlesque the United States General Statutes
of 1902 almost as effectively. The extreme forms in v/hich
many things in all codes are enacted are to use in case of need.
To keep the Sabbath quiet and respected was the intent; to
harry decent people was not so, though a fanatical meddler
might so use it occasionally, and the popular notion of what
407
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
was desirable continually changed. Most families, indeed,
enforced these restrictions from private religious reasons, not
from obedience to law; it was precisely because they did so
that they enacted the law. As to the terms of the above
bogus statute, it is divisible into two parts. The first clause,
though stated too unqualifiedly, — unnecessary travel being
prohibited, — may be allowed to pass. Most travel certainly
was prohibited, and the law is on the statute book still; nor
have the people ever been willing wholly to surrender this
bludgeon over the heads of disorderly crowds or greedy cor-
porations. A few years ago the farmers in the suburbs of
New Haven tried to enforce it, to prevent city swarms from
plundering and breaking down their fruit trees; and re-
ceived much vicious abuse for their "blue-law fanaticism,"
from people who took no pains to discover the facts. The
other items are merely burlesque fantasias on the theme of
"unnecessary work" forbidden on the Sabbath. A law might
just as well have been added for the election of magistrates
to hide under the beds or behind the doors of each house, to
ascertain what was done inside the four walls. The "unneces-
sary work" would be indictable today, and in some places is
specifically forbidden: if a cobbler set up his equipment in
his front yard on Sundays, he would not be allowed to work
there long. In a word, people must not make their work a
nuisance to those who wish to observe the Sabbath. The
classes of work noted by Peters were always — except shaving,
perhaps — considered unnecessary by New England families :
cold food injured no one, and gave the overworked women
a breath; the beds could be made after six o'clock; sweep-
ing need not be done at all for one day, and again favored
the women ; and cutting hair never was indispensable for any
one on any day. But the abstinence was of people's own mo-
408
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
tion, not statutory. It will be time to suppose that even fussy
church officials, desirous of magnifying themselves, disci-
plined offenders for these things, or indicted them civilly,
when some record is found of such discipline or trial.
20. "No woman shall kiss her child on the Sabbath or
fasting day." The grave defense for Peters is made, re-
garding this outrageous "whappernocker," that Dr. Burnaby
says in his "Travels" that Boston people "of credit" told him
that an English naval captain was arrested and whipped for
publicly kissing his wife on Sunday after returning from a
cruise. It is not the first time that English travelers have
been hoaxed by Americans, and swallowed the information
whole, without exercising any reasoning faculty upon it; but
an American scholar should hardly seem to imply — what of
course he does not mean — that the story may possibly be true.
His American sense of humor should be a guaranty against
that. It is also adduced that a New London couple were
Indicted in 1670 for sitting together under a tree in an or-
chard on Sunday. Before accepting the parallel, it would be
necessary to be sure what the couple were doing under the
tree ; but possibly the New London recorders were restrained
by delicacies not felt by the New Haven clerks. It seems to
be a postulate that our ancestors cannot have done anything
which was not ridiculous. And Peters was not an English-
man ; nor does he even say that the woman must not kiss the
child publicly. Again, what magistrates were deputed to
watch the cradle? It is simply impossible to believe that
Peters believed this piece of rubbish himself. He was, in
street phrase, "kidding" the English.
21. "The Sabbath shall begin at sunset on Saturday."
There does not seem anything very atrocious in this, which
was a mere convenience for farm work, and observed where
409
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
there was no law. If a Sabbath was to be kept at all, it was
no heinous offense against liberty to define its limits, follow-
ing old Biblical and ecclesiastical custom. As before said,
the Sabbath itself is the real grievance.
2 2. "To pick an ear of corn growing in a neighbor's gar-
dent shall be deemed theft." "Rob any orchard or garden"
are the words of the statute. It would be a remarkable
statute which specified that robbing orchards or gardens
should not be legally theft. Peters, as before, takes the ex-
tremest case of petty annoyance which a malicious curmud-
geon could inflict on a boy, and makes it into an entire statu-
tory provision by itself. Many fruit and vegetable growers
even today are longing for a public sentiment which will en-
able them to enforce the statute more severely against youth-
ful plunderers; and at a time when these products constituted
a large part of most men's income, what was there "blue" in
passing laws against robbery of them?
23. "A person accused of trespass in the night shall be
judged guilty unless he clear himself by oath." A person ac-
cused of burglary who refused to swear that he did not com-
mit it, or one found in a neighbor's poultry yard who refused
to swear that he was not there after chickens, would deserve
any punishment on the statute books. To require a man un-
der reasonable suspicion to deny his guilt does not seem on
its face a very intolerable oppression. The avoidance of
penalty is within the compass of the meanest.
24. "When it appears that an accused has confederates
and he refuses to discover them, he may be racked." He
might be, in Massachusetts, but there is not a particle of evi-
dence that he ever was; while in England torture warrants
were issued till just before the Civil War (the last in 1641).
There is nothing of the sort on the New Haven code. Pe-
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CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ters was unaware that he was deliv^ering a harder blow at old
England that at New.
25. "No one shall buy or sell lands without permission of
the selectmen." True in New Haven and Massachusetts,
and entirely natural and useful. AH private club-communi-
ties, so to speak, many watering-places and beaches, have the
same rules in essence, and for the same reason, — to make
sure of the society, that the need or greed of a few may not
make a bad neighborhood for all. Like other restrictions,
it was found impossible to enforce, but it probably kept up a
better standard of society while it lasted. A thoroughly occu-
pied land like England merely had no occasion for it. Most
real estate in England was entailed, and could not be sold at
all.
26. "A drunkard shall have a master appointed by the
selectmen, who are to debar him from the liberty of buying
and selling." All communities have similar provisions, to
put conservators over those who are unfit to care for them-
selves, in the interest alike of humanity and social order, and
to prevent the unfit person from becoming a charge on the
community. It needs no defense, and why Peters thought it
did Is beyond guessing.
27. "Whoever publishes a lie to the prejudice of his neigh-
bor shall sit in the stocks or be whipped 15 stripes." This is
near enough to the truth, and there is nothing to be said
against punishment for libel. We have disused the forms
of punishment, but they were used in England too; and so
long as they were, the assignment of them for false witness
was not excessive. We have also transferred like actions
from the criminal to the civil category ; perhaps not with the
best judgment.
28. "No Minister shall keep a school." The motive for
411
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
this was doubtless the same as that for protecting ferrymen
in their business: it was of the utmost importance to have
schoolmasters, and in the thinly settled towns they could not
make a living if the ministers were allowed to undercut them,
which they could do as needing the pupils only to add to
their income, while the schoolmaster had nothing else to live
on. It was a Massachusetts law, not a New Haven one.
29. "Every ratable person who refuses to pay his propor-
tion to the support of the Minister of the town or parish shall
be fined by the Court 2 /. and 4 /. every quarter until he or
she pay the rate to the Minister." That is, two pounds the
first time and four pounds a quarter thereafter. This was a
blunder of Peters' authority: the real statute was that the
ratable inhabitants of a town were to meet and elect a min-
ister, and in default of it, the selectmen were to be fined as
above. In other words, a town was not to be allowed to lapse
into heathenism from stinginess.
30. "Man-stealers shall suffer death." This was certainly
not too severe a punishment for kidnapping on its deserts,
though it may have been ill-judged; and the Rhode Island
law which made it five years' imprisonment, with "satisfac-
tion" to the parents, — whatever that may mean, — was far
too lenient.
31. "Whoever wears clothes trimmed with gold, silver, or
bone lace, above two shillings by the yard, shall be presented
by the grand jurors, and the selectmen shall tax the offender
at 300 /. estate." New Haven gave her magistrates discre-
tion about prosecuting for improper wearing apparel. Mas-
sachusetts specified many different things. Any one who sup-
poses that New England has had a monopoly of, or been
a rarity in, sumptuary legislation, has escaped much affliction
by an enviable ignorance of history. It was a little later than
412
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
its parent, because Its economic condition was less developed
in the seventeenth century.
32. "A debtor in prison swearing he has no estate, shall be
let out and sold to make satisfaction." Not to be sold out of
the United Colonies of New England, however. It does not
appear that this was worse than leaving them to starve to
death unless the public threw them pennies, as in England.
Men who could not pay their debts otherwise were not
thought badly treated in being required to work them out,
33. "Whoever sets a fire in the woods, and it burns a
house, shall suffer death, and persons suspected of this crime
shall be imprisoned without benefit of bail." This is a slov-
enly blunder in attempting to condense a longer statement.
The actual penalty was to pay the damage, and half as much
to the county, provided his fire hurt corn between two speci-
fied dates ; the death penalty for deliberate arson was not ex-
cessive, and is judged by many the proper one still. No
death penalty was affixed in any New England colony except
for such wanton arson.
34. "Whoever brings cards or dice into this Dominion
shall pay a fine of 5 I." True of iMassachusetts. We need
not grieve over the long past ennui of the early Massachu-
setts citizens, or their compulsion to make bone dice in order
to gamble away their possessions. If the statute saved one
per cent, of the evil it was intended to prevent, it was justi-
fied. The founders were quite right to keep a gambling
craze from starting in the new settlements. Dice and devils
at once were too much to combat.
35. "No one shall read Common Prayer, keep Christmas
or Saints' days, make minced pies, dance, play cards, or play
on any instrument of music except the drum, trumpet, and
jews' harp." The object of this huge jumble of fair truth
413
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
and ridiculous falsehood is obvious from the connection of
ideas. These were the "blue" laws par excellence; they were
to prove that the Connecticut or New Haven Yankees were
the legitimate brethren of the Covenanters and the Common-
wealth's men, — sour, canting, boorish ascetics, who hated
everything in the way of enjoyment, whether it were good
food, good music, good literature, or jolly holidays. The
disallowance of Common Prayer — not by statute but by in-
direct methods — and of Christmas and saints' days (even
so, forbidden only in Massachusetts), was part of the funda-
mental attempt to maintain their own system, and prevent
being undermined by the old one, or give their English ad-
ministrative enemies a hold; it is wearisome to meet the
disjecta membra of the same one fact at every turn, as new
Items of wrong or folly. Dancing was certainly banned, and
has been in other societies since ; possibly the old New Eng-
landers knew their own young people better than we do. It
would be easy to bring up evidence that the Puritans, of Old
and New England alike, in their warfare for social decency,
had better grounds than we are willing to admit. The times
were not sentimental, passion was exceedingly primitive, and
manners were decidedly coarse; perhaps mothers did not
keep any stricter watch on their daughters than facts de-
manded. Cards have been mentioned : they were only one of
a number of gambling devices specifically forbidden. Pos-
sibly the fun which the young men had was not less in quan-
tity and wholesomer in quality. That cards are harmless now
is not in point: they have ceased to be much used for gam-
bling, and other amusements are plentier. Where Peters got
his mince pies from is a mystery; but it is likely enough that
some tradition may really have come down, of stiff Puritans
who would not use articles closely associated with "papistic"
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CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
festivals. It would be very characteristic of Peters to turn
this into a statute. Every local or private prejudice of the
dominant party was set down as a "Puritan law." This is
apparently how the imaginary restriction of musical instru-
ments finds its v/ay into his imaginary New Haven statute
book. The early settlers certainly were suspicious of the in-
fluences of music, probably from the integral part it bore in
the old Church services; and in the country districts, it had
a long and stubborn resistance to overcome. That this was
one of the greatest of their mistakes, and that the humaniz-
ing influences of music would have been of immense value to
them, while its inspiring ones would have helped and not
hindered their spiritual life, seems certain. It is only another
instance of how the wreckages of good things and evil go
down together.
37. "When parents refuse their children convenient [suit-
able] marriages, the Magistrates shall determine the point."
This was Massachusetts law. Peters must have meant Eng-
lish parents to be horrified at the government interfering be-
tween parents and children. Nothing is more significant of
his rather reckless carping than that in No. 43 he makes a
reproach of the very fact which this law was intended to
mitigate, — the overweening parental authority which might
spoil a daughter's life from unjust prejudice.
38. "The selectmen, on finding children ignorant, may
take them away from their parents, and put them into better
hands, at the expense of their parents." An excellent law:
in substance, all the best modern communities have it. A
drunken or lazy or brutal parent has no rights over his chil-
dren that entitle him to keep them ignorant and untrained. If
Peters thought otherwise, he was far below the level of his
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CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Puritan neighbors; if he did not, he would seem to have
been playing on English prejudices for his own ends.
39. "Fornication shall be punished by compelling mar-
riage, or as the court may think proper." That old societies
have to give up in despair the regulation of the social evil,
so long as it does not openly violate public decency, does not
prove that newer ones may not check it somewhat. At any
rate, as the offense could not be punished until it was known,
it was evidently punishable as such infraction of good order
if at all. And the punishment does not seem unfair; espe-
cially as the court had discretion as to whether it was
righteous to enforce it in any given case.
40. "Adultery shall be punished with death." This was
general among all Puritan societies : the Long Parliament en-
acted it in England. It is universally agreed now that the at-
tempt to amend social morals by severe legislation is a fail-
ure; but there was a vast amount of obtrusive criminality
then which made the effort intelligible.
41. "A man that strikes his wife shall pay a fine of 10 /.;
a woman that strikes her husband shall be punished as the
court directs." Sufficiently near the truth: in fact, the statute
(Massachusetts) gives the court discretion in either case, but
the fine not to exceed £10. There is nothing to reprobate in
efforts to make brawling couples keep the peace.
42. "A wife shall be deemed good evidence against her
husband." There was no such statute, and it lay in the dis-
cretion of the jury to accept the evidence as good or other-
wise. There are arguments on both sides; Peters, however,
apparently thought it mischievous, or expected the English
to think it so.
43. "No man shall court a maid in person or by letter with-
out first obtaining consent of her parents; 5 /. penalty for
416
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY-
the first offense, lo /. for the second, Imprisonment for the
third till released by the county court." This was true of
New Haven, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The only rea-
son it was not law in England also was because the unwritten
law was so binding that no one dared disregard it; and any
one who did, exposed himself to chastisement from the girl's
entire family, if not worse. The law was believed to be in
the interest of the girls as much as of their families, to pre-
vent their deception by persons whom they had neither means
nor capacity to estimate as justly as their parents. "Clarissa
Harlowe" was written nearly a century after the Massachu-
setts laws, and there a young lady's marriage is assumed as
being entirely in the hands of her family. Much more than
a century after that again, an English squire of good posi-
tion entered his niece's bedroom one morning in his hunting
gear, forced her to rise, and flogged her with his hunting
whip, in her nightgown, for daring to receive the addresses
of a man he disapproved. Peters must have been ignorant
of English society to suppose this would strike them unfavor-
ably.
44. "Married persons must live together or be impris-
oned." This was not statutory, but at the discretion of the
courts; which in all civilized countries have given decrees
for the restitution of marital rights, or in other words, to
make a married woman occupy the same house with htr hus-
band, — of course enforceable by some penalty. It was no
specialty of New England. It Is needless to say that the de-
cree did not follow the couple beyond the front door.
45. "Every male shall have his hair cut round according
to a cap." We know the Puritan dislike to long hair, as the
badge of the gay young Cavaliers ; and the bread bowl or a
half pumpkin-shell was used often enough, but never by
417
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
statute, and it is not likely Peters supposed it was. It is
another phase of his purpose in No. 35.
In a word, many of the alleged enactments are unobjec-
tionable in any community or age ; many of the rest were rea-
sonable in that age and under those circumstances; many
were either inevitable incidents or sequents of the form of
society attempted, or rational experiments in social order;
some of them were in self-protection, to which they were
driven by what they regarded as wanton aggression from out-
siders; and several are grotesque travesties of the real laws,
or extreme cases invented for ridicule. It is not too severe
to call this "forgery," even although a concurrence of a fool
for prosecutor, fools for a jury, and a fool for judge, might
turn it into fact; but it would certainly be too harsh a judg-
ment to call Peters a forger. He wrote in a spirit of jocular
mischief quite as much as of malice, and cannot have sus-
pected that he was writing for an earthly eternity.
Another remark is called for, but ought not to be called
for. The social order of every time and place is constantly
requiring local and temporary police regulations, explicable
only by the local conditions and experiences, and justifiable
by them; but which, if criticised without knowledge, seem
examples of the silliest and sourest meddlesomeness. Many
such rules and enforcements of our own day, if found on the
Puritan statute-books (be it remembered, largely the police
codes of small undeveloped communities) or records, would
be hailed as proof positive of their hatred of innocent enjoy-
ment, even of the affections. Only a few months ago, a
couple were arrested and reprimanded for public kissing on
a boat in Charles River, near Boston : will it be maintained
that present-day Boston magistrates are averse to kissing?
On some beaches, men are prohibited from lying at full
418
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
length; and one group of girls were intensely mortified at
having a young masculine friend, who had flung himself on
his elbow to talk to them, ordered by a policeman to sit up.
A still more pertinent example is from Philadelphia, not re-
puted fussy in these matters. When electric cars were first
introduced, "trolley parties" were the craze for a time, and
young people rode on them till all hours of the night, sing-
ing or ostensibly singing at the top of their voices, and mak-
ing night dismal for those who wished to sleep. A local or-
dinance was finally passed to forbid this sort of pulmonary
calisthenics. But imagine the comments of all classes if a
law against public singing were found in the Connecticut or
Massachusetts code !
Nor can the writer concur with the judgment that these
things fairly represent the general spirit of New England
life. They represent rather — a very different affair — the im-
pression which would be produced on us of the twentieth cen-
tury if we were compelled to return and live in the New Eng-
land of the seventeenth. But in any section even of the
English-speaking world of that age, we should probably be
sickened with disgust or paralyzed with horror at the daily
life around us; and how modern nerves could endure the
Thirty Years' War and live, is not easy to conceive. For-
tunately, each people is born into its own age and inured to
the life of that age, as well as section ; and the sympathy cur-
rently lavished on the early New Englanders for having to
live in early New England is largely wasted. That the young
fretted at the social order imposed by the old is not peculiar
to Puritan society; and the most significant fact is that when
their turn came to mold the new generation and its ways, they
molded it not on the basis of revolt from their fathers' dull-
ness, but on that of appreciation for their fathers' essentially
419
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
sound and satisfying system, with the mitigations that new
conditions made judicious. The boredom of childhood was
not so vital an influence as to color their mature lives very
deeply. As to the ultimate outcome of the system, it is not
apparent that it was inferior to those which we should call
more liberal; the roll of New England's children and its
accomplished work would not gain largely by being ex-
changed for that of any middle or southern colony.
For the daily life itself, it was very little disturbed by the
criminal codes. Most people, then as now, did their work
and enjoyed themselves as they could and chose, without
stumbling over legal enactments; for those enactments repre-
sented pretty much the way they liked to live, and were
made by their own representatives for the very reason that
such was the way they liked to live. It was their own ideal
of a social system framed into law ; and its penal enactments
were to prevent that ideal being interfered with, not to pre-
vent their leading it. Where it was over-strict, and annoyed
a considerable part of the respectable population, as it doubt-
less did in New Haven, it soon passed away with their own
good-will : New Haven was overthrown as much by internal
discontent as by outside force; probably indeed Connecticut
never would have thought of attempting to extinguish it but
for secret encouragement from within. As to the intimacies
of private life, it does not seem that many girls remained un-
married on account of their parents' contumacy, nor even
were compelled to marry men they disliked, — in which they
had the advantage over girls in England ; and kisses or other
endearments were not usually reserved for the market square
and the frown of the constable. Very few remained on the
wrong side of a river or went uneducated by reason of the
ferry trust or the school trust ; the muscles of the youth were
420
J
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
not relaxed, nor their lungs tuberculous, because they could
not have running races or blow horns outside a meeting-
house when the minister was praying; no one was impover-
ished because of prohibition from logging or haying on Sun-
days; the Sunday continued to be mostly twenty-four hours
long; and night prowlers had themselves to thank if their
refusal to declare their innocent intentions landed them in
jail. In short, the well-behaved were not much molested, and
the ill-behaved suffered less, on the average, than in most
other communities. It is doubtful whether the rank and file
would have gained by exchanging their life for that of the
ordinary English community. F. M.
421
CHAPTER XXIV
Education and Yale College
THE settlers of New England were not peasants,
but for the most part intelligent middle-class
people, and often university graduates; hence
they could not contemplate having their chil-
dren in this country sink into uneducated rus-
tics, and they knew that it would not always be possible to
send them to England for higher education. Furthermore,
their system being founded on understanding of the Bible,
they must educate men who could understand and expound
it. The foundation of Harvard College stimulated New
Haven in its infancy to attempt a like institution. Mr. Da-
venport was deputized to ascertain the amount of money that
would be necessary for the foundation of a "free school,"
and to draw up rules to govern the institution. This was five
years after the organization of Harvard. The restraining
hand of the Bay Colony was in opposition to this laudable
enterprise ; her people remonstrated, claiming that the whole
population of New England was scarcely sufficient to sup-
port one college, and that the institution of a second would
sacrifice them both. The weaker bowed to the mightier
power, and for a decade no action was taken ; at the end of
this period the matter was again agitated, but at a General
Court held at Guilford, June 28, 1652, it was decided that
New Haven Colony would not establish a college unless Con-
necticut would bear its just proportion of the expense. There
had been, previous to this, lands donated by the New Haven
Colony as the site of a college, which were called "College
Lands."
Two years rolled away, and through the indefatigable exer-
tions of Mr. Davenport the matter was again brought be-
fore the General Court. The following year New Haven
donated £300 and Milford £100 to promote the undertak-
425
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
ing. From England also came a bequest; Governor Hop-
kins' death occurring in his native land, he left his estate in
New England to be divided equally between the towns of
New Haven and Hartford for grammar-school purposes,
thereby becoming the first public benefactor of the educa-
tional system of Connecticut. The General Court of New
Haven, in accepting the donation, ordered that a grammar-
school and college should be established at New Haven, and
appropriated £40 annually as a salary for the preceptor or
rector in charge of the college, and £100 towards the com-
mencement of a library. The college was for the teaching of
Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and literature, to fit youths for public
service in the Church and Commonwealth. The first rector
was Mr. Davenport, who after serving several years was suc-
ceeded by Mr. Peck. The union of the two colonies,
the want of proper support, and the removal of Mr. Daven-
port to Boston, led to the abandonment of the college; the
public school, now known as the Hopkins Grammar School,
became heir to the endowment and the "College Lands."
Nor was the colony of Connecticut backward in the mat-
ter of free education. The General Court in 1644 estab-
lished a school system ; a prominent reason for so doing was
that "one chief project of that old deluder Satan was
to keep men from the knowledge of the Scriptures."
The selectmen as well as the parents and masters were cau-
tioned that as a fundamental principle of education, children
should be taught weekly "some short orthodox catechism."
Every town in Connecticut of fifty families was obliged by
law to maintain a school in which reading and writing should
be taught, and in every county town a grammar school was
instituted; in 1678 the law was modified to read thirty in-
stead of fifty families. A complete revision of the laws per-
426
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
taining to public education was made at the beginning
of the eighteenth century. The time of holding school,
which had been reduced to six months, was increased to
eleven months, and a tax of forty shillings on every £i,ooo
assessment was levied for their maintenance; this was re-
duced in 1754 to ten shillings, but after being raised to twenty
shillings, was reduced to the original amount in 1767. Pre-
vious to 17 1 2 the towns established, provided, and regulated
schools, but in that year it was enacted that every parish
should maintain a school; in 1750 the parishes were recog-
nized as subdivisions or school districts, and after that date
until 1798 they were practically equal with the towns in the
conduct of school affairs. In the early days the popular way
of maintaining schools was by tuition fees, collected of the
parents or guardians of the scholars. There were exceptions
to this : in New Haven the school was supported wholly by
taxation; in Hartford the salary of the master was guar-
anteed by the town; but this was amended in 1677 so that all
the towns provided for the support of the teacher. While
there were school committees previous to 1750, it was not
until that year that a law was enacted providing for their
election.
Destiny rules the world, and it seemed to be a decree of
foreordination that a college should be established at New
Haven ; it was not, however, until the end of the seventeenth
century that another attempt was inaugurated. The general
synod of churches held in 1698 devised a plan to establish a
college; "they were to nominate the first president and in-
spectors, and to exercise an influence over all elections as far
as should be necessary to preserve orthodoxy in the gover-
nors." The college was to be called "The School of the
Church," and to be supported by the churches. This plan was
427
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
not successful, but in the following year ten of the most
prominent ministers of the colony were nominated, with the
consent of the clergy and laity, to formulate a plan and be-
come trustees of a college to be located in the colony of Con-
necticut. The persons named were James Noyes of Stoning-
ton, Israel Chauncey of Stratford, Thomas Buckingham of
Saybrook, Abraham Pierson of Killingworth, Samuel Math-
er of Windsor, Samuel Andrews of Milford, Timothy
Woodbridge of Hartford, James Pierpont of New Haven,
Noadiah Russell of Middletown, and Joseph Webb of Fair-
field. These gentlemen were all graduates of Harvard ex-
cepting Mr. Buckingham; Pierpont, Andrew, and Russell
were the most active in formulating the work, and it was due
to their indefatigable labors that the plan was finally brought
to a successful termination.
The first meeting of the ti'ustees was held in New Haven
during the year 1700, and a society was formed, consisting of
eleven members, for the foundation of a college. At a subse-
quent meeting held in the same year at Branford it is said that
each of the trustees brought a number of books, and with the
words, "I give these books for the founding of a college in
this colony," presented them to the association. The con-
tribution amounted to forty folio volumes pertaining to the-
ology, and not a single volume of classical literature or the
sciences; they were estimated to be worth thirty pounds
sterling. In the following year Sir John Davie of Groton,
while on a visit to England, sent to the college one hundred
and sixty or seventy volumes, most of which were collected
among the nonconformist ministers in Devonshire. The
Rev. Noadiah Russell was appointed librarian, and the
volumes remained three years in his possession. The act
of depositing the books has been considered the beginning of
428
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
the college; but as a matter of fact It did not have a corpo-
rate existence until a year from that time. The trustees, de-
siring to make the institution legal, in order that it might
encourage public donations and become a real-estate owner,
applied to the General Assembly for a charter. At their so-
licitation, Judge Samuel Sewall and Isaac Addington of Bos-
ton had prepared the draft of a charter; and at the session
of the colonial legislature held at New Haven In October
1 70 1, a petition signed by a number of the clergy and laity
was presented to that body.
The first private donor to the seminary, other than the
original organizers was Hon. James Fitch of Norwich, who
gave 637 acres of land in Killingly, and the necessary glass
and nails to erect a college and hall. Mr. Fitch had been
a member of the council of the colony for several years.
While the value of the donation is not known, there is no
doubt but that the glass and nails constituted the most desira-
ble part of the gift; the land was afterwards exchanged for
the same quantity in Salisbury. This benefaction had an in-
fluence on the action of the Assembly ; a charter was granted
Oct. 9, 1 70 1, varying but slightly from the original draft,
and the legislature voted sixty pounds sterling annually to-
wards the support of the institution. In the charter the sem-
inary was not designated as a college, but as a collegiate
school, with no fixed place of habitation ; the trustees being
empowered to hold school at any convenient place or places
they might select, and for the encouragement of the students
to grant degrees or licenses.
On receipt of the charter the trustees met at Saybrook on
Nov. II, 1 70 1, and after the refusal of Rev. Isaac Chaun-
cey of Stratford, Rev. Abraham Plerson of Klllingworth was
elected to the office of rector. Rev. Samuel Russell was
429
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
chosen trustee to complete the number, and Saybrook was de-
termined upon as the place to establish the seminary. The
newly elected rector was asked to remove to Saybrook; but
to this proposition his congregation objected, and permission
was granted for the students to be instructed at Killingworth.
There was no plan of studies adopted by the trustees, and
the probability is that the same course of instruction was
pursued as at Harvard. The first student was Jacob Hem-
ingway, a youth of eighteen, who begun his studies in
March 1702 and continued alone till the following Septem-
ber; he journeyed several miles to reach the parsonage of
Rev. Abraham Pierson at Killingworth (now Clinton).
The studies were more on the principle of tutorship than a
collegiate course. The school was not founded merely as a
theological seminary, but rather for the necessary instruction
in arts and sciences, to fit the student for public employment
both in Church and State ; yet in those days the laity were sup-
posed to need a solid grounding in divinity. The first com-
mencement was held privately at Saybrook, Sept. 13, 1702,
and* honorary degrees were conferred on four Harvard
graduates, however. The following year a general contri-
bution to build a college house was solicited throughout the
colony; the students had been increased to eight, and Rev.
Daniel Hooker was chosen tutor; the course till 17 10 was
three years, and the classes were named Senior Sophisters,
Sophomores, and Freshmen.
The death of the Rev. Mr. Pierson in 1707 retarded the
*Some authorities claim that there was no proper gradu-
ating class until 1703; when the Triennial Catalogue makes
the following record :
1703
Johannes Hart, A. M. Tutor, 1731.
430
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
progress of the college; the Senior class was at Milford un-
der the care of Mr. Andrew, the rector pro tempore, and the
other classes at Saybrook under the charge of two tutors.
There had been dissatisfaction e\er since the inauguration of
the college, in regard to a site for a permanent home. This
disagreement caused a division of opinion among the trustees,
and the scholars became disorderly and discontented; some
of the students went to Wethersfield and placed them-
selves under the tuition of Rev. Elisha Williams. A large
contribution of books, amounting to eight hundred volumes
and valued at £260 sterling, was received in 17 14 from
friends in England, through the efforts of Jeremiah Dummer
of Boston, who was located at that time in London. When
the trustees met at the commencement in 17 16, it was found
that divided instructions and government, aided by the strug-
gles of towns to obtain the final location of the college, had
so crippled the institution that there was danger of its ex-
tinction.
Several towns had subscribed different amounts towards
the erection of a permanent building; New Haven had do-
nated £700, Saybrook £400, and considerable sums had been
pledged by Hartford and Wethersfield. On Oct. 17, 17 16,
the trustees voted to establish the college at New Haven, and
continued Mr. Andrew as rector pro tempore. The location of
the college became an important feature in colonial politics,
but in 1 7 17 the General Assembly endorsed the removal to
New Haven, and voted a grant to aid in the erection of the
buildings.
The inhabitants of Saybrook forcibly resisted the removal
of the library to New Haven; and it was judged necessary
for the governor and council to be present, when the sheriff
executed the orders of the General Assembly. The Saybrook
431
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
people destroyed the carts furnished for the transportation
of the books, the bridges between the town and New Haven
were broken down, and many valuable papers and books were
lost. At the next gubernatorial election, Governor Salton-
stall barely escaped defeat, a political intrigue having been
formed to supersede him by those opposed to the selection of
New Haven as a permanent location for the college.
The first commencement held at New Haven was in 1717 ;
the number of students was thirty-one, and four were ad-
mitted to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Part of the stu-
dents continued at Wethersfield, the northern part of the col-
ony being still opposed to New Haven as a permanent site
for the college. The commencement held Sept. 12, 17 18, at
New Haven, was the first one to which the public were in-
vited; it was attended by the principal laymen and clergymen
of the colony. An edifice of wood 1 70 feet long, 22 feet wide,
and three stories in height, containing about fifty rooms for
students, besides a hall, library, and kitchen, was completed
in that year at a cost of about £1000; it was torn down in the
fall of 1782.
The institution had received several donations from indi-
vidual residents of the colony and country; Jahaliel Brenton
of Newport, Rhode Island, and Governor Saltonstall, each
had subscribed fifty pounds. The largest benefactor was
Elihu Yale, a native of New Haven, who at the age of ten
years was taken to England, and on attaining manhood went
to the East Indies; eventually returning to London, he be-
came Governor of the East India Company. He was a man
of generous disposition, and having amassed a large fortune,
his attention had been drawn to the struggling college in
his native town; he was one of the principal donors of the
books collected by Dummer in England for the institution;
432
1^
From tlie original paiiilinj; in the (lallery of Vale College.
ELIHL' YALE
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
and In the years 1718-21 Governor Yale donated goods
valued at £400 sterling, and books estimated to be worth
£100, to the college. As an acknowledgment of these deeds
of beneficence, at the commencement held in 17 18 the new
building, which at that time constituted the college, was
named Yale.
Never was so prominent a distinction given to an unknown
cognomen, or a more perpetual monument to one's memory
created, for so insignificant an expenditure.
In 17 1 8 a commencement was held on the same day at
Wethersfield, for the dissatisfied students who had pur-
sued their studies in that town. The differences between the
factions were finally healed by moderate and conciliatory acts
of the legislature, and the appointment of Rev. Timothy
Woodbridge as rector pro tempore; the members of the
class of 17 1 8, absent from the commencement services at
New Haven, received their diplomas.
The college being now fixed permanently at New Haven,
it was deemed advisable to have a resident rector; the trus-
tees, after considering the points of the different can-
didates, decided in March 17 19 to appoint Rev. Timothy
Cutler of Stratford to the office. Mr. Cutler was a graduate
of Harvard, and was ordained in 17 10 over the church in
Stratford, in accordance with the constitution of the churches
in Connecticut. He was an excellent linguist, a great Hebrew,
Oriental, and Arabic scholar, also a good logician, geogra-
pher, and rhetorician; master of philosophy, metaphysics,
and ethics; his pronunciation of Latin was accounted per-
fect, and he spoke the language with fluency and dignity.
He was extensive reader in academic sciences, divinity, and
ecclesiastical history. In personal appearance he was of com-
manding presence, of lofty and imperious mien, and made an
433
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
imposing figure at the head of the college. In 1722 a house
was built for the rector, and continued to be used till the
summer of 1834, when it was demolished.
The college was now enjoying the most flourishing con-
dition in its history; the students' dormitory was well filled,
the number of instructors was increased, and valuable addi-
tions had been made to the library, principally by dona-
tions from England. At the commencement held in
1722, a paper was presented by seven ministers of the col-
ony to the assembled "fathers and brothers," which disclosed
the astonishing fact that they had become imbued with the
doctrine of Episcopacy. At this time there was not an Epis-
copal Church or clergyman in Connecticut, although there
were a few adherents of that doctrine residing at Stratford,
the former home of Rev. Mr. Cutler. The position taken
was like a firebrand to the people of Connecticut; they feared
that with the introduction of the Episcopal form of worship,
the home government would exercise a dangerous influence
in their affairs, and that it would lead to an abridgment of
their religious and civil liberty, which were the great objects
of their settlement of New England.
At a meeting held in the college library on the day after the
Commencement, at which Gov. Saltonstall presided, the sub-
ject was warmly debated; Rector Cutler and Rev. Samuel
Johnson were the chief speakers on the invalidity of Presby-
terian ordinances. At the close of the debate, the trustees
voted to excuse both Rector Cutler and Tutor Brown, the
only two officers of instruction in the college, from all further
services. The following resolutions were also passed: "That
all such persons as shall hereafter be elected to the office of
rector or tutor in this college shall, before they are accepted
therein, before the trustees, declare their assent to the confes-
434
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
sion of faith owned and consented to by the elders and mes-
sengers of the churches in the colony of Connecticut, assem-
bled by delegation at Saybrook Sept. 9, 1708, and confirmed
by the acts of the General Assembly; and shall particularly
give satisfaction to them of the soundness of their faith, in
opposition to Arminian and prelatical corruptions, or any
other dangerous consequences to the purity and peace of
the churches."
On the retirement of Rector Cutler from the college, Mr.
Andrew of Milford was again appointed rector pro tempore;
the position of rector was refused by several gentlemen, as
it was considered a station of peculiar difficulty, after the agi-
tations arising from the late declaration for Episcopacy. In
1726 the Rev. Elisha Williams was chosen rector, and ac-
cepted the position; his government of the college was more
from personal influence than in accordance with any estab-
lished laws.
The General Assembly of Connecticut in 1732 granted
the college three hundred acres in each of the new towns of
Norfolk, Canaan, Goshen, Cornwall, and Kent. The same
year they were the recipient of a donation from Dr.
George Berkeley, then Dean of Derry in Ireland, afterwards
Bishop of Cloyne. This amiable divine had visited America
intending to found a college, and had purchased a country
seat of nearly one hundred acres at Newport, Rhode Island;
relinquishing his design of establishing a college, Berkeley
returned to England. During his residence in America he
became acquainted with several trustees of Yale College, and
deeded his real estate in Newport to the infant university.
This donation, at the suggestion of the Dean, was made into
a fund, the proceeds of which were to maintain at college for
three years after graduation the three best scholars in Latin
435
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
and Greek languages; if there was any surplus It was to be
expended In Greek and Latin books, to be distributed as
premiums to undergraduates who made the best compositions
or declamations in the Latin language. The first examina-
tion for the Dean's bounty was held In May 1733; and the
Rev. Eleazer Wheelock, who afterwards became the first
president of Dartmouth College, and Benjamin Pomeroy of
Hebroen became the first scholars so honored. In the next
half-century, many students who afterwards became prom-
inently identified with the educational and political affairs of
the country were the recipients of the Dean's generosity;
among whom may be mentioned Aaron Burr, William Samuel
Johnson, Naphtall Daggett, Nehemlah Strong, James A.
Hillhouse, Silas Deane, Stephen M. Mitchell, John Trum-
bull, John Davenport, Samuel W. Dana, Abraham Baldwin,
and many others.
While a resident of Newport, Dean Berkeley presented
his books to the college library, and on his return to the Old
World he made an additional donation of nearly one thou-
sand volumes, which were estimated to have cost over £400
sterling ; these books were Greek and Latin classics, a nearly
complete set of the Christian Fathers, and the most approved
works In theology, history, the sciences, and general litera-
ture. Rector Williams, owing to ill health, was obliged to
resign his position In 1739, having filled the chair with great
usefulness and honor; he was a good classical scholar, spoke
Latin freely, and was well versed in logic, metaphysics, ethics,
rhetoric, and oratory. On the day that his resignation was
accepted, Rev. Thomas Clap was elected to fill his vacancy.
The new rector was a graduate of Harvard, and for four-
teen years had been connected with the church at Windham ;
he possessed the talent of acquiring great knowledge with lit-
436
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
tie time spent in reading, owing to a quick, comprehension
and retentive memory. While he was not eminent as a
classical scholar, he had complete knowledge of three learned
languages; he was an authority on mathematics and natural
philosophy, and conversant with English common law; he
was a practical business man, and instituted a number of re-
forms in the college of great benefit to its organization. Rec-
tor Clap was inaugurated April 2, 1740, and at the sugges-
tion of the trustees began to compile a new set of laws
for the university; they were founded on the old laws and
statutes of the college, the laws of Harvard College and the
University of Oxford, and on completion contained several
new additions. These laws were adopted by the board of
trustees in 1745, translated into Latin and published in 1748 ;
being the first book printed in New Haven. This code ol
laws punished various transgressions of the students with
fines; but the practice fell into disuse at the close of the
eighteenth century. At the time of compiling the new code,
Rector Clap prepared a large volume which was called the
customs of the college ; this book was never printed, but was
read publicly and explained to the students. There is no
copy of the book extant, but it contained minute laws respect-
ing the subordination of classes, and the deportment of the
students towards each other and the government of the
college, and limited corporal punishments to the Freshman
class. These consisted in the rector's boxing the culprit's
ears; the last of these customs, so far as they had the force
of laws, was abolished in 1804.
The social distinctions of the times were illustrated in the
college catalogues, which until 1767 were arranged not al-
phabetically but in order of rank; first appeared the sons of
the executive officers of the colony, then of clergymen, law-
437
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
yers, artisans, and tradesmen. The students were called by
their surnames unless they were the sons of a nobleman or a
knight's eldest son. Laborious etiquette prevailed between
the faculty and students, and conversations between under-
graduates were carried on in Latin. The rector also rear-
ranged in more convenient form the books in the library, enu-
merated and numbered each volumCi and in 1743 printed a
catalogue for the use of the students. The library consisted
of about 2,600 volumes; this was increased in 1766 to about
4,000, but in 1 79 1 there were only 2,700. This was occa-
sioned by losses during the American Revolution, when the
library was shipped to different points of the Commonwealth
for the convenience of the students, who were scattered, or to
save it from being captured by the incursions of the enemy.
The college having outgrown its original charter. Rector
Clap prepared a draft for a new one; and after its revision
by Hon. Thomas Fitch, it received the approval of the board
of trustees, and was sanctioned by the General Assembly in
May 1745. The incorporated name was "The President and
Fellows of Yale College in New Haven"; but the body In
common language is called "the corporation". The charter
was most liberal In its provisions, and granted every import-
ant power and privilege which the college needed, or will
need In the future; the government was Invested, the same as
formerly, in ten clergymen. The Assembly voted for the use
of the college £100 of silver money, to be paid semi-annually.
The growth of the college necessitated the erection of new
buildings to provide proper accommodations for the students.
The foundation of a brick structure was laid In the spring
of 1750, and completed in the fall of 1752, being named
Connecticut Hall; It was one hundred feet long, forty feet
wide, contained three stories, and an attic which was re-
438
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
modeled In 1797 Into a fourth story; the building had thirty-
two chambers and sixty-four smaller rooms. The expenses of
the erection of the hall were defrayed partly from the pro-
ceeds of a lottery, and partly from money arising from the
sale of a French prize captured by a privateer of the colonial
government.
At this time the revivals of George Whitefield were caus-
ing great religious commotions In New England; churches
were becoming divided with violent controversies; and Presi-
dent Clap Issued a declaration, signed by himself and mem-
bers of the faculty, denouncing Whitefield's teaching, — thus
causing the college to become an object of jealousy, giving
offense to many and conciliating none. The faculty and stu-
dents had attended public worship with the first ecclesiastical
society of New Haven ; but the preaching of the minister not
being in conformity with the orthodoxy of the college of-
ficials, the president and fellows In 1746 determined to estab-
lish a professor of divinity as soon as they could secure suf-
ficient support. This was again agitated In 1752, and was
sanctioned by the General Assembly, October 1753. The
following November the president and fellows adopted reso-
lutions, basing their government on the Assembly's catechism
and the confession of faith which was part of the Saybrook
platform. At the request of the corporation the president
commenced preaching to the students In the college hall,
pending the selection of a professor of divinity; this was the
cause of loud complaints, as it was contended that the college
was within the limits of the first ecclesiastical society of New
Haven, and the formation of a religious society within the
college walls was Irregular and Illegal. President Clap was
equal to the occasion ; he issued a pamphlet in which he main-
tained that the college had a legal right to the privileges of
439
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
a religious society, in accordance with the views of the found-
ers of this institution. Sufficient funds having been obtained
in 1755, Rev. Naphtali Daggett was chosen to fill the new
theological chair. For several months after his installation
he preached half the time in the church of the first society of
New Haven; but at the succeeding commencement the cor-
poration refused to continue this arrangement, and the pro-
fessor of divinity preached in the college hall until the erec-
tion of a chapel. Thus a distinct religious society was formed
within the college. A residence was finished for the profes-
sor of divinity in 1758, at the cost of £285 sterling.
The college was now on a sound basis, owing to the firm-
ness and persev^erance of the president in filling the chair of
divinity, and causing the corporation to pass the act endors-
ing the Assembly's catechism and confession of faith. This
had, however, created dissatisfaction among the clergy and
laity throughout the colony, and the General Assembly was
petitioned to establish a commission of visitation to inquire
into all the affairs of the college. This was opposed by the
president with vigorous arguments : he contended that the
General Assembly had no more control over the college than
over any other persons and estates in the colony; that while
he acknowledged that the Assembly had been great bene-
factors, they were in no sense of the common law to be con-
sidered founders or visitors. The legislature refused to
take any action In the matter, and it never has been a subject
of public agitation since.
Additional buildings were required at this time, owing to
the increase of students, partially due to their wish of avoid-
ing military Impressment during the French and Indian wars.
The foundation of the chapel was laid In April 1761 ; It was
to be a brick structure fifty feet long and forty feet wide,
440
.'&>
From the painting by R. Moulthrop.
y
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
with a steeple and galleries. It was opened in June 1763,
the third story being used as a library; the expense of the
building was £715 sterling. The first president of Yale Col-
lege, who had, by his talents and high reputation, advanced
the institution to a distinguished rank, resigned his position
at the commencement of 1766, owing to dissatisfaction in the
faculty; he lived but a few months after his abdication. The
corporation elected as President Clap's successor Rev. James
Lockwood of Wethersfield; but he refused the position, and
Professor Daggett was chosen president pro tempore.
In September 1770 the professorship of mathematics and
natural philosophy was established, and Rev. Nehemiah
Strong became the first occupant of the chair, entering upon
his official duties in December of that year.
At the request of the General Assembly, the laws in 1772
were published in the English language. The college also
received from the State in 1776 an appropriation of £100
towards the support of the tutors for one year. For eleven
years President Daggett discharged the presidential duties in
connection with those of professor of divinity; he resigned
his executive office in April 1777, but continued the duties of
his professorship until his death in 1780.
The corporation, at a meeting held in September 1777,
elected Rev. Ezra Stiles to the office of president. He had
graduated at Yale in 1746, and three years later was ap-
pointed to a tutorship, which oflice he retained six years. At
the time of his election to the presidency of Yale College, Dr.
Stiles was pastor of a congregation at Newport, Rhode Is-
land. His people had become greatly attached to him, but
the Revolution had scattered the members, and their min-
ister had received an urgent call to settle at Portsmouth, New
Hampshire. Stiles took plenty of time to consider this change
441
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
in his affairs, and it was not until March of the foUowing^
year that he notified the corporation that he would accept the
presidency. His formal inauguration took place July 8,
1778, and the installation ceremonies were held in the college
chapel; at the time the office of president was conferred on
him he was likewise made professor of ecclesiastical history.
The number of undergraduates in 1778 was 132. The
faculty, besides the president, consisted of a professor of
divinity, professor of mathematics and natural philosophy,
and three tutors, (the latter positions discontinued in 178 1 for
lack of funds) . The vacancy caused by the death of Profes-
sor Daggett was filled by the choice of Rev. Samuel Wales of
Milford; the professorship was never intended to be other
than that of scientific theology, but at the installation of Dr.
Wales the pastoral care and charge of the college church was
committed to him. Hon. Philip Livingstone of New York
in 1746 laid the foundation of a fund for the support of this
professorship, which had been augmented by a donation
from Mr. Gresham Clark of Lebanon. The bequest of £500
by Dr. Daniel Lathrop of Norwich, in 1728, was the largest
contribution up to this period that had been received from an
individual donor. Rev. Richard Salter, in 1781, deeded ta
the corporation a farm in Mansfield, which was sold for $2,-
000, and the funds arising from its sale expended in promot-
ing the study of Hebrew and other Oriental languages. An-
other benefactor of Yale was Rev. Samuel Lockwood, who
in 1739 donated £100 for an addition to the philosophical
apparatus; this department of the college had but a limited
supply of materials, consisting, at the commencement of the
school at Saybrook, of a pair of globes and a few of the most
common mathematical instruments. Subscriptions were ob-
tained in 1734, and a reflecting telescope, a microscope, a
442
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
barometer, and various other articles were purchased; a com-
plete set of surveying instruments was presented about this
time by Joseph Thompson of London, England; and a few
years after, Isaac Watts donated a pair of globes. An elec-
trical apparatus and an air pump had been in possession of
the college since 1749, and President Clap bequeathed an as-
tronomical quadrant. Dr. Lockwood's donation was increased
by other contributors to £300, and a complete equipment for
the department was purchased in London ; the reverend gen-
tleman at his death bequeathed $1,100 to the library fund.
It was not until 1780 that the corporation of the college
consisted entirely of Yale graduates ; out of the whole num-
ber of fifty-six rectors and trustees, there had been four rec-
tors or presidents, and twenty-eight trustees or fellows, grad-
uates of Harvard. Notwithstanding that the patronage of
the college was not sufficient to guarantee its self-support, it
was deemed necessary in 1782 to erect a brick hall, sixty feet
in length and forty feet in width.
President Stiles, who was well acquainted with the differ-
ent controversies that had arisen respecting the constitution
of the college, was favorably inclined, for the threefold rea-
son of encouraging subscriptions, patronage, and assistance
in counsel, that leading civilians of the State should be asso-
ciated with the fellows in the management of the affairs of
the college. Various plans were proposed, but they did not
receive general approval, the difficulties arising from the fact
that the legislature could not determine the compensation the
State could afford the college for sharing in its internal gov-
ernment.
The General Assembly had given an annual grant, and at
various times had made appropriations, amounting in all to
about £250 a year. By their charter the corporation chose
443
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the fellows and their successors, which w^ere limited to minis-
ters, thus creating a jealousy which embodied itself in legis-
lation. In 1784 four petitions were represented to the Assem-
bly, asking for legislative interference to alter the col-
lege charter or to establish a new college under State patron-
age. Continued appeals of the corporation to the Assembly
for financial aid were regularly refused; it being urged by
the opponents of the college that it was controlled by bigotry
and opposed to all improvements in education, and hence un-
deserving of public support.
At the session of the General Assembly in October 1791,
a committee was appointed to confer with the college officials
in reference to its needs and financial condition; the com-
mittee made a favorable report, and submitted a plan pre-
pared by the treasurer of the college. The national gov-
ernment having assumed the State debts, it was proposed
that the amount outstanding from unpaid taxes should, as
collected, be devoted to the improvement of the college;
this did away with the most important objection of the oppon-
ents of the college, as it did not require the levying of a
new tax. The Governor, Deputy Governor, and the six
senior Assistants in the council, were to become trustees
or fellows, and with the presiding officer and present board
were to constitute the corporation for the government of
the college. This proposition passed the legislature with
hardly any opposition, and was accepted by the corporation
in June of the same year. By the increased income secured
by legislation, — which, including an additional sum voted in
1796, amounted to over $40,000, — the corporation was en-
abled to re-establish the chair of mathematics and natural
philosophy, and in October 1794 Joseph Meigs was elected
to the professorship.
444
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
Many of the students were obliged to lodge in the town
for want of room in the college; which subjected them to
unprofitable, idle, and vicious connections, having a ten-
dency to introduce unsteady and disorderly conduct. The
committee of the legislature had recommended the erection
of another building, the foundation stone of which was laid
April 15, 1793, and it was finished in July 1794; the struc-
ture was one hundred and four feet long and thirty-six feet
wide, and in commemoration of the union of civilians with
the old board of fellows, it was named Union Hall.
The death of President Stiles occurred May 12, 1795.
Owing to the illness of the professor of divinity, and the va-
cancy in the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy, his
responsibility had been greatly increased. As a scholar Dr.
Stiles was familiar with every department of learning: he
had acquired great familiarity with the Latin language, and
was a proficient in Hebrew and Oriental literature. He
was also an able administrator, and under him the college
flourished more than at any former period. The number of
students increased ; the long controversies in reference to the
constitution of the college were settled; it was the object of
his constant solicitude, and to promote its interests he spared
no effort. The college from its foundation had always been
under the influence of Congregationalism ; the original trus-
tees were ministers of that denomination, their successors con-
tinued to be of the same persuasion. In the first century
of its existence the president was always a clergyman, and
out of one hundred and ten tutors but forty-nine were
laymen. That theology was the fundamental study of the
college Is shown by the fact that up to 1750, there were
graduated 306 clergymen against 336 laymen. Up to this
time, 2,372 followers of Hemingway's footsteps had entered
445
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
the portals of the college, and of these over one-fourth were
educated during the presidency of Dr. Stiles. The alumni of
the first century of Yale College were largely confined to the
natives of the State; but in the second century of her exist-
ence she was to become more of a national than a local insti-
tution in her influence and teachings. That by their individual
achievements in the paths of education, the ministry, and
national affairs, her graduates reflected glory upon their
Alma Mater, is amply evidenced by the history of the pe-
riod.
446
CHAPTER XXV
Connecticut Settlements in Pennsylvania
BY the middle of the eighteenth century, Connec-
ticut had begun to feel overpopulated. Ban-
croft estimates its population at this time as
133,000; in the absence of developed manufac-
tures, this was a fairly close settlement at that
period, for a district of 4,800 square miles, largely uncul-
tivable. We need not accept too literally the politic report
of the secretary of the colony to the home government in
1680, when Connecticut had about 12,000 inhabitants, that
in this "mountainous, rocky, and swampy" province most
of the arable land was taken up, and the remainder was
hardly worth the labor of tillage ; but certainly with eleven
times that number there were few good farms to be had, and
new lands were needed for the overspill. The eyes of Con-
necticut men were turned in two directions: to the north,
toward the New Hampshire Grants, where their settlements
presently resulted in the Green Mountain Boys and the appli-
cation of the Beech Seal to the New York surveyors, and
ultimately in the State of Vermont; to the west, toward the
unsettled lands granted in Connecticut's charter, extending
between the forty-first and forty-second parallels to the Pa-
cific.
Unfortunately, in the latter direction two other grants lay
across its path : New York, which had settled its territory too
far west to be disturbed; and Pennsylvania, whose limits ran
to the 43d parallel or the head of Delaware River, but
which had not settled the portion within the Connecticut lim-
its at all, it being still unbroken wilderness roamed over by
the Delawares. This grant was eighteen years subsequent to
the Connecticut charter, dating from 168 1 : did it or not re-
voke the prior grant to Connecticut of the same lands? The
point was so far from coming under a clear principle of law
449
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
that the best legal talent of England was divided: Pratt
(later Lord Camden) for Pennsylvania being matched
against Thurlow, Wedderburne, Dunning, and Jackson for
Connecticut. It was agreed that had the district been occu-
pied by effective Pennsylvania settlement, the prior Connec-
ticut right could hardly have been pleaded; but not a white
man had so much as a clearing or a cabin upon them, and it
was held that the Crown could not re-grant the same territory
so soon — that is, before the first grantees had had a reason-
able time to effect occupancy.
This legal problem was not the only one at issue, however :
there were two others, a political and an equitable one. Po-
litically, if a later Crown grant to territory covered by a prior
one were invalid, nothing but an internecine civil war all
over English America could decide the conflicting rights; if
valid, no colony had any rights at all against the caprice of
the Crown. In practice, neither of these extremes would be
likely to occur, and common sense and compromise would set-
tle all; but the case of the New Hampshire Grants
as well as Wyoming makes it evident that this could not be
securely depended on. On the ground of equity, how long
might a proprietary keep a huge mass of territory unsettled
waiting its own pleasure? The Penn heirs in nearly three-
quarters of a century had not settled a man on this, had
no present intention of doing so, did not wish it settled ex-
cept as a future feudal estate; claimed nothing but a right
of pre-emption, and preferred to keep it as an Indian game
forest rather than have white men take it up in freehold.
Connecticut wished to make it a civilized land and increase
the strength of America at once. It is not necessary to up-
braid the Penns for clinging to their alleged rights ; but Con-
450
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
necticut had as good a case In law and In politics, and a
better one In equity.
Thus urged by need and fortified by law and a good con-
science (law not yet Invoked, but fully assured), the Con-
necticut people took vigorous steps to explore their lands and
prepare an occupation that would bear down all antagonism.
There was no attempt at stealth. In 1753 the Connecticut
Susquehanna Company was organized, with 840 proprietors,
subsequently increased to 1,200; "an unofficial movement
of the whole colony," it has been styled. Advantage was
taken of the Albany Congress of the colonies, called to frame
a plan of union for defense; and there, on July 11, 1754, the
representatives of the company made a treaty with some of
the Iroquois chiefs for a tract of land on the east bank of the
Susquehanna, for the sum of £2,000 New York currency, or
$5,000. This was turning the Pennsylvania proprietors'
guns against themselves, to their wild Indignation and alarm.
Anything more worthless in law or equity than the Iroquois
title to this tract cannot be imagined; but the Penns had
estopped themselves thoroughly from disallowing it. An
Indian title even to lands actually hunted over by the tribe
was valueless, for reasons already cited; and the Iroquois
had not even that vague claim to these lands, they having
been occupied since our knowledge by the Delawares, whom
the Iroquois had cowed Into an acknowledgment of liability
to be scalped If they opposed the latter. To account this
the same as a civilized suzerainty, — or rather above any civi-
lized suzerainty, which gives no right to sell vassals' property
above their heads, — conferring a power to dispose of weaker
tribes' lands on savages who could not convey a title even
to their own, — was an absurdity of which Connecticut's pre-
vious history shows that it was free; though it had always
451
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
recognized an Indian occupancy right, to be fairly bought
out. But from Penn down, his family had obstinately main-
tained exactly this, — that Indian ownership and the Iroquois
"suzerainty" over the Delawares were in all respects on a
footing with the correspondent civilized relations. This was
probably a politic recognition of facts much more than any
real difference of sentiment or judgment: they were forced to
buy off the Iroquois, or expose the settlement to massacre by
the most terrible Indian power in America; and of course
were bound to maintain the validity of the title they had pur-
chased. At any rate, they clung to the fiction, and as late as
1736 made a treaty with the Iroquois by which the latter
agreed not to sell any of their (including the Delawares')
lands to any one but Pennsylvania. Now, eighteen years
later (ominous period, the exact priority of the Connecticut
to the Pennsylvania grant), the savages, as might have been
expected, sold to the first substantial bidders what they
wished. It adds the last touch to this bargain that while
eighteen sachems (eighteen is the mystic number of Wyo-
ming) concluded it and took their beaver-skin full of money,
others, won over by the Pennsylvanians, declared that the
former were drunk (which need not be doubted) and had
no right to make the sale any^'ay (which of course under
Indian law was true). This illustrates the value of Indian
titles, which no one in the tribe was competent to grant, and
which conveyed nothing that could be defined as against any
other tribe. There seems no doubt, however, that so far as
the heads of one tribe of savages had any right to convey
title to the lands used by another tribe and owned by neither,
the Connecticut company had bought the title ; assuredly they
had bought under the sanctions upheld by Pennsylvania for
over seventy years. Subsequently another corporation was
452
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
formed in Connecticut, the Delaware Company, which
bought with similar validity the title to the lands west from
the Delaware to the east line of the Susquehanna Company's
purchase. But it was always a minor appendage to the lat-
ter.
The Pennsylvania proprietors were indignant at this in-
vasion of their pre-emption rights ; and induced not only the
Delawares to protest against their dispossession, contrary to
the accepted Pennsylvania theory, but as above said, induced
some of the Iroquois chiefs to deny the right of the others
to sell. They also called in the services of the great William
Johnson (later Sir William) to debar the Connecticut men
from possession; with the famous interpreter Conrad Wei-
ser, and others. Be it noted, however, that they still ex-
pressed no purpose to settle the lands, but only to keep them
for the Indians; and their Mohawk allies declared that they
would not sell the lands to any one — they wished to preserve
them for "their western Indians." But in May 1755 a com-
mittee of the Susquehanna Company petitioned the Con-
necticut Assembly for permission to apply to the Crown to be
erected into "a new colony or plantation." Permission was
given : it was evidently understood that the purpose was not
to enrich Connecticut as a colony, but only to provide ulti-
mately a new Connecticut where its citizens could feel at
home and prosper. The outbreak of the French and Indian
War prevented any actual settlement for a couple of years;
but in 1757 the first was made on its lands by the Delaware
Company, at Cushutunk on the Delaware, and within the
next few years several hundred settlers gathered there.
Meantime the Pennsylvania proprietary was in intense excite-
ment, and the question of ejecting the invaders of its preserve
became its burning one even above the war. Northampton
453
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
County, the nearest organized jurisdiction, issued procla-
mations and notices to the intruders to evacuate the lands;
and the proprietors appealed to England, — on which Con-
necticut countered by sending Col. Dyer, the eloquent pro-
moter sought after by the Windham frogs, to plead its
case. The Council was bewildered, and the Connecticut set-
tlement struck its roots ever deeper.
The real lines, however, for the long-drawn battle, prac-
tically ended by the horrible Indian-Tory massacre of the
Revolution, were laid in 1762. The agents of the Susque-
hanna Company had selected for settlement the beautiful
Wyoming Valley: a part of the Susquehanna Valley some
twenty miles long by three or four broad, embracing rich
bottoms a mile or even two back from the river, surrounded
by ridge on ridge of mountains up to a thousand feet high.
About two hundred male emigrants were sent on to lay the
foundations of a colony, by making clearings, sowing grain,
etc. They fixed on a spot near the river, below the present
town of Wikesbarre ; and early the next spring returned with
their families and household goods. The season was a good
one, and the harvests abundant; but three enemies of over-
whelming force were lying in wait for their destruction. The
Pennsylvania militia had concerted plans to eject them and
destroy their harvests; the Delawares were brooding over
their dispossession, and resolved to massacre the settlers de-
spite the Iroquois; and the Iroquois themselves, having spent
the money, had no intention of allowing the settlers to occupy
the lands for which they had paid it — not the only case of the
kind. The blow of the first, however, was a little forestalled,
from accident or design, by that of the second, precipitated
by the third, who did not wish their agency to be apparent.
The chief sachem of the Delawares, Tedeuscung, had become
454
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
much too independent to please the Iroquois, who took care
not to let their subordinates slip the leash too far; and they
had a further grudge against him for killing an Iroquois
chief. On April 19, 1763, their emissaries induced him and
a number of others to take part in a grand carouse ; during
his drunken sleep of the night they set fire to his cabin and
twe^nty others, burning the inmates to death. The New Eng-
landers had come into the valley shortly before, and the Iro-
quois laid the murders to them. Whether the Delawares be-
lieved it or not, it suited them and was safest to pretend so;
and they prepared to revenge it Indian wise, after due wait-
ing. On Oct. 1 5 they burst on the settlement and butchered
some twenty men; the rest, men, women, and children, fled
to the mountains and in helpless misery retraced the path to
Connecticut, or settled in the lower towns of Pennsylvania.
By a happy chance, the Pennsylvania militia were at hand,
and destroyed the settlers' stores; which they had provi-
dently forecast, a fortnight before the massacre, might be
"left" by them. This Indian "reoccupation" turned the
valley into wilderness again for half a dozen years.
In 1768 the struggle was renewed on a greater scale, be-
ginning the intermittent "Pennamite Wars" of several years'
duration. The Susquehanna Company granted five town-
ships, each five miles square, — Wilkesbarre, Hanover, Kings-
ton, Plymouth, and Pittstown, — to forty settlers each, or four
hundred acres apiece, on condition of their remaining on the
ground to "man their rights." Forty were to set out at once,
the remainder the next spring. Later, three other townships
were granted, on the west branch of the Susquehanna. The
leader of the expedition (though he did not go thither for a
couple of years) was one of Connecticut's noblest sons, —
Captain Zebulon Butler of Lyme, some thirty-eight years old.
455
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Ten years before, he had commanded a company at Ticon-
deroga and Crown Point; and in 1762 he had distinguished
himself at the capture of Havana. His mihtary talents and
vigilance secured high respect,and his courteous and generous
nature inspired enthusiastic affection.
Two other veterans of the French and Indian War, Cap-
tains Durkee and Ransom, were in the company; and the em-
igration as a whole was of unusual ability and character. The
proprietary met it not with counter-settlement, but mere vio-
lence. Indeed, historically the Connecticut effort is largely
justified on this ground alone: the entire colony rose up to
send occupants to the lands, as an urgent public need ; while
the Penns took possession of them only to keep them out of
other white men's hands, and even then sent no effective col-
onization. In 1768 (Nov. 5) they made a fresh treaty at
Fort Stanwix with the Iroquois, who cheerfully sold them
the same Wyoming Valley which they had previously sold
to the Connecticut company, and still previously promised to
sell only to Pennsylvania. The new title was as good as the
old, and neither was worth anything at the bar of law or his-
tory. This done, the proprietors executed a seven-years'
lease of a hundred acres in the valley to three men, — Charles
Stewart, a surveyor and militia officer, afterwards aide to
Washington; Captain Amos Ogden, a capital soldier, with
not too delicate a sense of honor; and John Jennings, high
sheriff of Northampton County, — on condition of establish-
ing a trading-house and defending the valley from encroach-
ment, acting as Chief Executive Directory at Wyoming.
Forty or fifty men were induced to purchase lands on the
same condition as the Connecticut forties, "manning their
rights"; and the Pennsylvania bands included several excel-
lent officers. The relations between the two parties, however,
456
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
were much like those between the English and French In the
war of 1755-60 : it was a contest of bona fide colonists against
mere political outworks.
The three Directors with seven other men were on the
ground first, in January 1769; occupied the deserted block-
house of the Connecticut settlers and some of their huts,
where Mill Creek joins the Susquehanna in northern Wilkes-
barre; laid off two great manors for themselves as joint les-
sees, one on each side of the river; and waited. On Feb. 8
the Connecticut pioneers came on the scene, and finding Og-
•den's force in the blockhouse, invested it closely and de-
manded its surrender. Ogden, overmatched and sure to be
starved out, invited a deputation to come into the fort and
discuss the matter; three of the chief men did so, when the
sheriff claimed them all as prisoners and deported them to
Easton jail, sixty miles off, the other thirty-seven following.
But the Connecticut settlers had active partisans and helpers
all through Pennsylvania, even in Philadelphia. The dog-
in-the-manger policy of the proprietors was mainly in their
personal interest, they having surveyed off the richest up-river
lands and reserved them to themselves; they did not wish
freehold settlement, but huge manors with tenants paying
them rent. White settlements would increase land values
and trade for the Pennsylvanians, and they disliked the pro-
prietary monopoly: hence the paralysis of the Pennsylvania
government, and its almost grotesque inability to prevent the
Connecticut occupation of its neighbor lands. It would be a
very distorted idea to suppose that this was a contest either
of government against government, or of the people of Con-
necticut against the people of Pennsylvania : the Connecticut
government cautiously abstained from giving it any official
countenance, and the Pennsylvania people stolidly refused
457
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
to be worked up over it. The real fight was between the
people of Connecticut and the government of Pennsylvania.
These friends, who were especially numerous along the
Delaware, where the Connecticut flood would enrich the old
settlers most, were sought out by the uncaptured band, and
went bail for the prisoners; and the whole forty at once
returned to Wyoming. Enraged at the fruitlessness of
his stratagem, Jennings secured a warrant for the arrest of
the entire party, called out the posse of Northampton Coun-
ty, took several other magistrates with him, marched to the
settlers' rough fort, and assaulted It. Overmatched in turn
and unwilling to defy a legal process, about thirty surren-
dered, and were again taken to Easton and lodged in jail;
again liberated on bail by their Pennsylvania friends, they re-
turned to the valley. It was now March : in less than two
months the pioneers, besides their original travels, had
walked two hundred and forty miles to and from jail, in the
depths of winter and through the forest. But they were not
of the metal to be discouraged by the first opposition of the
Pennsylvanians; and within a month they were joined by
overwhelming reinforcements, under Captain Durkee. The
one hundred and sixty grantees of 1768, with seventy or
eighty shareholders not included in the last assignment, made
up nearly three hundred in all. But the best lands were far
below Mill Creek; a settlement was fixed in the southern part
of the present Wilkesbarre, and Fort Durkee built to defend
it. On May 20 Ogden and Jennings, having raised a larger
force, appeared in the vicinity once more; but the place was
too strong to attack and they withdrew to Easton, Jennings
reporting to the governor that there was not force enough in
Northampton County to dislodge them. Thereupon Gover-
nor John Penn sent a military company from Philadelphia
458
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
under Col. Turbot Francis to expel the intruders; arriving
about June 20, he found the fort too formidable, and retired
to await reinforcements.
Connecticut people were not only resolute to hold their
rich western possession, but excited by the stories of the new
Eden; and fresh pioneers were continually setting out for the
valley. To give the settlement time to accumulate fighting
strength, the Susquehanna Company sent commissioners to
treat with Pennsylvania; they had no government cre-
dentials, and the Pennsylvania government was not likely
to negotiate with the agents of a private land company, but
it might delay a fresh conflict. As a matter of fact, their
proposal to submit the question to trial or arbitration was re-
ceived, but promptly refused, and a fresh expedition hurried
on to oust the settlers once for all. Jennings was made
the head, to give it the aspect of an ejection by law; Ogden
was the real commander; and it set out early in September
with some two hundred men, and a four-pound cannon
brought from Fort Augusta (now Sunbury) by Captain
Alexander Patterson, Ogden's best officer. Ogden went
ahead with fifty soldiers, and by a surprise captured Cap-
tain Durkee, who was sent under irons not to Easton but to
Philadelphia, and lodged in prison. Jennings and the posse
then appeared before the fort and summoned it to surrender.
The cannon made victory certain, and terms of capitulation
were agreed on. Three or four Connecticut leaders were
kept as hostages, seventeen men were allowed to remain and
gather the harvest, the rest of the settlers were to leave the
valley peremptorily. The private property was to be re-
spected; but Ogden according to his nature broke the pledge
at once, and sold all the property to Pennsylvanians. Three
459
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
times expelled in one year, the Connecticut settlers made their
way home.
Confident that their task was accomplished for a finality,
Ogden left ten men in the fort to maintain possession and
warn off intruders, and he and Jennings returned to Phila-
delphia to an easily imaginable ovation. During the fall
and part of the winter, all remained quiet; but by Feb-
ruary all was again lost to the Penns, this time from foes in
their own household. A group of forty settlers from Han-
over, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, had bought a town-
ship from the Susquehanna Company, to be named from
their own town ; and with Captain Lazarus Stewart at their
head, started for the battle-ground of the valley. Accom-
panied by one of the bands of Connecticut settlers who were
quietly slipping back, ten or a dozen at a time, to avoid at-
tracting notice, he surprised Fort Durkee, ousted Ogden's
garrison, regained the cannon from the old blockhouse at
Mill Creek, and armed Fort Durkee with it. Durkee him-
self escaped from his Philadelphia jail by aid of the Connec-
ticut partisans, and took command of the settlers. At the
news, Ogden hurried back to the valley with fifty men, and
reoccupied the Mill Creek fort, renaming it Fort Ogden; by
strategy he decoyed a band of ten or a dozen Connecticut
settlers inside, and retained them all as prisoners. By ap-
pearance of ostentatious weakness, he also inveigled Durkee
into an attack, when the deputy sheriff attempted to arrest
Durkee's entire force; a battle ensued in which one of the
Connecticut men was killed, the first blood shed in the
Pennamite wars. Retreating, the Yankee forces trained the
cannon on the fort from a hill, but were unable to hit it;
they then invested it, and captured and burnt the connected
storehouse with nearly all the Pennsylvanians' goods and
460
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ammunition. Meantime Ogden had sent to Governor Penn
for reinforcements; the latter had his hands full, and ap-
plied in turn to General Gage, the British commander at
Boston, to suppress the Connecticut invasion of Pennsylvania
territory; Gage replied sensibly that it was a quarrel over
property, in which "it would be highly improper for the
King's troops to interfere." Left without help, Ogden was
forced to capitulate, on condition of retiring from the val-
ley, only leaving six men behind in one of the houses to take
care of his property, which was to be respected. The Yankee
prisoners were found and released, after a month's confine-
ment so close that the besiegers had not known of their cap-
ture. Not much to his credit, Durkee retaliated Ogden's
breach of faith the fall before by breaking his own, turned
the six caretakers outdoors, and appropriated the property
to the use of his forces. Thinking it senseless to leave the
fort as a point of vantage to the Pennsylvanians, who if again
in possession might be invincible, the Connecticut troops then
burnt it and the surrounding cabins, entirely obliterating the
settlement of 1762.
All the summer new bands kept arriving from Connecti-
cut, one headed by Captain Butler in person. New settle-
ments were started; Wilkesbarre was surveyed, and named
after a worthless scamp and a high-minded orator, oddly
linked as protagonists of liberty; and old Forty Fort, fa-
mous in the Revolution, was begun. The lost ground of the
previous years was more than made up. The proprietors
were in despair. Penn issued a proclamation denouncing
the conduct of the Connecticut men, and offering a reward
for the apprehension of the leaders, for whose arrest the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued writs; Lazarus Stew-
art was apprehended, but found the usual Pennsylvania
461
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
friends, who beat the officer and allowed him to escape.
Fresh proclamations forbade any one settling in the valley
except under license from the proprietors or their lessees;
and Ogden with a new sheriff was sent once more to oust
the Yankees. So apathetic were the Pennsylvanians over
their supposed wrongs that it took two months to raise a
sufficient force; and it was late in September before Ogden
arrived at the valley, with 140 men. Traveling by an un-
usual path, he took it by surprise, and dividing his force
into small bands, had each one seize a number of the labor-
ers In the fields. A large part of the settlers were captured
and sent to Easton jail; the rest took refuge in Fort Durkee.
Ogden shortly carried it by assault, several men being killed
and Butler severely wounded ; most of the captives were sent
to Easton jail, the leaders to Philadelphia. The place was
thoroughly plundered, and twenty men left in possession to
hold it till the lessees came in spring to start their Indian
trading post.
Satisfied that the enemy were gone for good, Ogden re-
tired, and the garrison thought it unnecessary even to post
a sentinel. On the night of the i8th of December, Captain
Lazarus Stewart and thirty men suddenly burst into and re-
occupied the fort in the name of Connecticut. Six of the
garrison escaped to the mountains in their scant sleeping-
gear, the rest were hustled out; and Ogden was informed
that after four expulsions, the Connecticut settlers held pos-
session of the valley once more.
The proprietary government gathered itself together for a
fifth effort. Stewart was now the worst hated man (by the
government) within the charter limits, as a renegade; and a
still heavier reward was offered for his capture. Ogden, osten-
sibly under the direction of a new sheriff, and accompanied
462
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ty his brother, was given the command of a new expedition
of over a hundred men, which reached the valley by the
middle of January. The Mill Creek fort being gone, Ogden
began a new one which he called Fort Wyoming, only sixty
rods above Fort Durkee; and the sheriff summoned Stewart's
force to surrender. Stewart declined, and on Jan. 20 Og-
den assailed the fort. Four of his men were shot down at the
first volley, including his brother mortally wounded; and
he withdrew to his own fortification. But Stewart was too
far overmatched to hold out, and under the legal ban against
him, capture was too heavy a risk; and with the worst com-
promised of his party he fled in the night (having first hid-
den the cannon). The government, on hearing of the en-
gagement and young Ogden's death, increased the reward for
Stewart to £300. Ogden occupied the fort next day, and as
usual, sent the remaining garrison to jail with the sheriff;
but himself this time remained, fortifying Fort Wyoming
strongly. Early in April Stewart returned under Zebulon
Butler (again out of jail), who with 150 men and the
resurrected cannon laid siege to Fort Wyoming. The in-
vestment was so close that no one could escape to carry word
to Philadelphia for reinforcements; but Ogden, by an amaz-
ing feat of skill and daring, swam down the river under wa-
ter towing his clothes after him, they drawing the enemy's
fire, and was in Philadelphia within three days. Butler soon
discovered the escape, and knew that a company with sup-
plies would soon follow; ambushed it, and with great skill
contrived to let the company take refuge in the fort as a
further drain on its provision, while he captured the pack-
horses and their lading. Another company was slowly re-
cruited by the government, only their immediate dependents
having much interest in securing victory for them; but the
463
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
Connecticut men, who had been trying to starve out the gar-
rison, were apprehensive of its relief, and began a regular
assault. Ogden was wounded, a lieutenant was killed, and
several others were hurt; and the fort was compelled to sur-
render, under articles of capitulation which this time were
observed. The proprietary government, with regard to the
lands almost at its doors, was vanquished by the Connecticut
emigration; vanquished because its selfishness had left it
without popular loyalty, and its subjects were not concerned
for its pockets. The last reinforcements it had ordered to
the valley were recalled, and the Susquehanna Company left
the undisturbed possessors of the Wyoming Valley. Thus
ended the First Pennamite War, extending from January
1769 to September 1771.
Relieved from fear and wars, settlement now sprang up
apace. Within two years the Connecticut district, now
spread far beyond the valley, numbered two thousand souls.
Fort Ogden at Mill Creek was raised from its ashes, and
other forts built, becoming the nuclei of villages; Wilkes-
barre, surveyed in 1770, was laid out in 1773; Hanover,
Plymouth, Pittston, Exeter, Providence, Lackaway, etc., be-
came flourishing townships; the entire space between the
Delaware and the Susquehanna, under its two companies,
was rapidly laid off into townships and taken up in farms.
Churches of course followed at once; taxes were laid to sup-
port free schools; mills were built. New Connecticut was
justifying the hopes of its founders, and was quite as use-
ful to Pennsylvania as the wilderness had been.
As before noted, all these acts had been under the pri-
vate auspieces of the companies. The members of the Con-
necticut government were all members of the companies also,
or active sympathizers with them; but could aid them much
464
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
better unofficially than officially, and so saved embarrassing
complications. When the president of the Pennsylvania
Council wrote to Governor Trumbull of Connecticut, just
after the "war," to know whether his government counte-
nanced or authorized "these violent and hostile measures,"
the latter replied that it would "never countenance any vio-
lent, much less hostile measures, in vindicating the right
which the Susquehanna Company suppose they have to the
lands in that part of the country within the limits of the Char-
ter of this colony." As late as June 1773, since the new col-
ony must have a government and Connecticut was not ready
to show its hand, the Susquehanna Company at Hartford
adopted an instrument of gov-ernment for "certain lands
purchased of the original natives, by and with
the assent of the colony of Connecticut," also "claimed to be
within the jurisdiction of the Province of Pennsylvania" ; and
because Connecticut had applied to learned counsel in Eng-
land for advice, but had not yet received it, this govern-
ment was to continue till Connecticut should annex them to
one of its counties, or make them a new county, or the King
of England should give them a more permanent government.
But at the October Session, the settlements having grown
strong enough to defend themselves against any probable
Pennsylvania force, and the latter government apparently
having given up its claim in despair, Connecticut decided to
assert jts full rights and open negotiations with Pennsyl-
vania ; and a resolution to that effect was adopted. The
method was skillfully chosen to put the Pennsylvania govern-
ment in the wrong. First it was proposed to appoint mu-
tual commissioners to run boundary lines and ascertain the
extent of conflicting claims : this was rejected, it being de-
nied that Connecticut had any right west of New York. The
465
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
next proposition was to join application to the Crown to ap-
point such commissioners : rejected, but it was suggested that
Connecticut might make separate application to the Crown.
Lastly, it was proposed that Pennsylvania continue as then
to hold authority over the West Branch, while Connecticut
extended her jurisdiction over all her settlements "not under
the laws of Pennsylvania" till the dispute was compromised
or a decision had from the King in Council: rejected per-
emptorily. The Pennsylvania Assembly urged the proprie-
tors to hasten the royal decision as above. But Connecticut
had gained its point, and promptly passed an act (January
1774) erecting all the territory "within its charter limits,"
from the Delaware to fifteen miles west of the Susquehanna,
into the town of Westmoreland, as a part of Litchfield
County. The Governor issued a proclamation forbidding all
settlement there except under the authority of Connecticut;
thus for the first time opposing the shield of legal right
against the fulminations, warrants, and arrests of Pennsyl-
vania authority. The Penn government of course retorted
with another prohibiting settlement except under its own.
The Connecticut government lost no time, however, in an-
choring its abstract right by concrete action: justices of the
peace were commissioned (Zebulon Butler being one), a
town meeting called, and town officers chosen; the Susque-
hanna Company's settlements were divided into seven dis-
tricts, the Delaware Company's were made another. A full
complement of town officers was chosen; a pound, stocks,
and a whipping post set up ; representatives were sent to the
Connecticut General Assembly; and a probate court was
established.
In 1774 the Pennsylvanians began a clever game to un-
dermine the Connecticut authorities. They would buy town
466
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
lots or farm rights under the Connecticut title, and then
openly scout it as worthless, claiming their real one to be a
previous Pennsylvania title bought from the proprietors'
lessees. Pennsylvania surveyors plotted out tracts in West-
moreland, and made preparations to sow discord in the Con-
necticut household. Connecticut men were not likely to en-
dure this: a town meeting was held, and a committee of nine
appointed with power to expel any one taking lands under
the Pennsylvania title. They did so, against the vociferous
protest of Pennsylvania ; some of the expelled were men of
ability, one of them the founder of Meadville. Pennsylvania
retaliated by renewing the Pennamite wars. As early as
1 77 1, the Susquehanna Company had bought and surveyed
a tract on the West Branch of the river, at Muncy, twenty or
thirty miles west of "Westmoreland"; and planted two set-
tlements or townships there, Charleston and Judea. Just
at this time the Revolutionary War was in full blast; and
the Westmoreland people held a town meeting (Aug. i,
1775) in which it was resolved to "make any accommoda-
tions with the Pennsylvania party that shall conduce to the
best good of the whole, . . . and come in common
cause of liberty in the defense of America." The Pennsyl-
vanians paid no manner of attention to it. In September
1775 Col. Plunket with several hundred Northumberland
County militia inv^aded them, killed one man and wounded
several, burnt the buildings and confiscated the movables and
stock, sent the men to Sunbury jail and the women and chil-
dren to Wyoming. This ended all Connecticut attempts to
settle west of Westmoreland. Connecticut on news of the
imminent assault petitioned the new Continental Congress to
prevent it; Congress resolved that the colonial assemblies
should try to avert hostilities, and the Pennsylvania Assem-
467
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
bly inquired what led Congress to suppose any hostilities
were likely.
Flushed with this easy victory, Pennsylvania, now its own
mistress and inheritrix of the Penn feud against the Yankees,
determined to raise an overwhelming force and expel the
Westmoreland settlers in a body; although this extermina-
tion of a white settlement now numbering several thousand
people would have been as monstrous as the Acadian depor-
tation. Such a force was given to Plunket as Ogden, a much
superior officer, never dreamed of: seven hundred, a field
piece, and a train of boats with ammunition and supplies. As
before, a sheriff — of Northumberland County — accompanied
him with a stock of writs. Wyoming trading boats down the
river were confiscated, and Plunket began his march early
in December. Westmoreland could muster only three hun-
dred, including old men and boys; and a small number of
these were the treacherous Pennsylvania settlers. There were
not muskets enough to arm even this band. But the town
collected its forces, and meantime sent appeals to Congress to
interfere. The latter ordered hostilities suspended till it
could adjudicate on the question ; but Plunket had already
made his way through the gathering ice on the river and ap-
peared at the head of the valley. Butler, in command, was
anxious not to shed blood, and would not intrench himself in
the advanced mountain passes, being determined only to act
in strict defense of the settlement; but he constructed so for-
midable a rampart with logs and a naturally strong position,
that Plunkett's troops assaulted it in vain. The breastwork
could not be carried; his flanking parties were discovered
and foiled : and after having several men killed, on Christmas
day he retreated down the river. Thus ended the Second
Pennamite War. Militia seem to have been lukewarm, be-
468
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
lieving that the dispute should be adjusted otherwise ; and in
the heart of Revolutionary hostilities to expend such an army
in civil war, with certainty from the past of a fierce and
bloody resistance now that Wyoming was so much stronger,
is only one of several curious side-lights on the fervor of op-
position to Great Britain. Connecticut acted better, not wish-
ing to weaken colonial unity : she prohibited any further
settlement in Westmoreland except by special license from
the Assembly; whereupon Congress recommended her not
to allow any further settlement at all till the dispute was
adjusted.
The further history of this colony must be left to another
place. How the strength of the settlement was broken
by the Indian and Tory massacre, enabling Pennsylvania to
resume possession; how the legal proceedings dragged on
till settled by a unanimous decision of arbitrators in favor
of Pennsylvania, with accompaniments which make it evi-
dent that an agreement had been reached beforehand, and
leaving Connecticut and Pennsylvania in a significant state of
mutual amity, — these will be duly set forth in a chapter on
the Western Reserve in the Second Volume. Enough to say
here that with the just fortune of far-sighted and well-plan-
ned policies, Connecticut made a substantial salvage out of
the wreck, and indeed gained what she had sought from the
first, — not extension of administrative jurisdiction, but fresh
lands for settlement, and a fair price for relinquishing what
had been legally accorded her. F. M.
469
CHAPTER XXVI
Ecclesiastical Matters
THE religious grounds of the Puritan and Inde-
pendent or Pilgrims emigration have been
set forth in Chapter VII. The opposition to
the established church in England assumed
two forms : one which did not object to the
establishment as such or to its professed rule of faith or or-
der, but claimed that it had not completed its work of refor-
mation, and that it needed to be beneficial still further along
the lines on which some progress had been made; the other
which held that it was necessary to break away from the
Church of England, as that church had already broken away
from its obedience to Rome, and to set up a new organization
in which each congregation of professing Christians should
be an independent church, with the power of determining its
own creed and choosing its own officers. The Puritans, as
their name implies, did not consider themselves outside of
the Church of England, but as the only members of that
church who had the right view of its position and duties;
the Independents withdrew from their former relations to
a State Church, and held that they must form a new church
for each body of Christian men habitually worshipping to-
gether, determining its own polity and faith, and united to
others only on the principles of comity. The Massachusetts
Bay colony was led by Puritans ; Plymouth colony was a com-
pany of Independents. It will be readily seen that the for-
mer was aristocratic in its political tendencies, while the latter
was more inclined to democracy; yet on the other hand the
Puritans kept more nearly to v/hat was called the ''parish
way," looking upon all who lived within the limits of a
clergyman's care as his parishioners, and as entitled to the
privileges of the church's ordinances at his hands, while the
Independents followed the "church way," and regarded those
473
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
only as really members of the church who had confessed their
faith and been formally admitted by a vote of the brethren.
The Connecticut colony was made up of members of the
Massachusetts colony who sympathized more or less with
the Plymouth settlers, the democratic wing of an aristocratic
community; the settlers of New Haven were aristocrats as-
sociated together on the Independent principle of equality.
It may be said here, by way of anticipation, that when the
colonists felt that they were really second from England,
these two classes tended to draw together, so that their dif-
ferences became rather theoretical than practical; there was
no real attempt to continue in New England the church as it
was by law established in England.
But, to return to the times of the first settlements, we can
easily see the difference of which we have been speaking in
the documents which record the first legislative acts of the
two settlements. The "Fundamental Orders" of Connecticut
show plainly that they are the work of a mind (or of minds)
trained to legal methods and in legal phraseology ; and in the
fact that they require no ecclesiastical test for membership in
the body politic, they show that both clergy and laity were
content with the old "parish way." The first compact of the
New Haven colony, the influence of which was soon extended
to other settlements affiliated with it, was evidently inspired
by the theocratic views of its founder, who was its leader in
matters ecclesiastical, and therefore in matters civil; no one
was a citizen then who was not first a member of the church.
For these, as for other reasons, it is not strange that the
colony at the mouth of the Quinnipiach proved weaker po-
litically than that on the banks of the Connecticut. After the
union, which meant the failure of the principles which he had
maintained, Mr. Davenport removed to Boston, when he be-
474
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
came minister of the first church and died in 1670. Mr,
Hooker of Hartford, died many years before the union, but
he left a form of government destined to have great and
lasting influence. He and pastors who followed him had of-
ficially no legislative or judicial power; but their influence
as men and as Christian ministers was constantly, and almost
always beneficially felt.
Except in the case in which an already organized church
formed an essential part, and in fact the chief part, of the
migration, it was one of the first and most imperative duties
of a New England settlement that a church should be organ-
ized in it. The organization was always on the same general
plan, commonly called Puritan, but more strictly Indepen-
dent. The adult members of the community who were ac-
knowledged as having had that experience which warranted
them in becoming "professing Christians," covenanted to-
gether and made a covenant with God to hold the faith, to
obey the divine law, and to observe the ordinances. They
chose — or sometimes, as it would appear, simply recognized
— some suitable person to be their pastor. In the first gene-
ration this was almost always a man who had served as an
ordained clergyman in the Church of England, but had left
or been removed from his benefice — not deposed from his
oflSce — on account of non-conformity, that is to say, because
he had adopted and was teaching the distinction tenets of
Puritanism or Independency. Some of the clergy and peo-
ple held that a minister should be ordained anew when he un-
dertook the charge of a new flock; some held that an ordi-
nation once accepted was sufficient for the whole work of the
ministry; but of these latter, some preferred that there
should be a laying-on of hands by way of recognition, though
not by way of giving authority, when a minister entered
475
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
upon a new pastorate. Again, at ordinations some churches,
holding views which were really those of the Presbyterians,
called upon the pastors of other churches to lay hands upon
the men whom they had chosen and set them apart to the
ministry; and others, following out the principles of strict
Congregationalism, appointed certain lay-brethren of their
own number to ordain the candidate to the pastorate.
It appears that Mr. Hooker of Hartford and Mr. Dav-
enport of New Haven both received a new ordination be-
fore entering upon pastoral duties over their flocks in this
new land; while Rev. Henry Whitefield of Guilford con-
sidered himself as continuing his English ministry, and was
not again ordained; and the first pastors at Saybrook and
Milford, Mr. James Fitch and Mr. Peter Prudden, were or-
dained by lay-members of their own churches. But in no case
was a man qualified to minister the sacraments, or acknowl-
edged to be the rightful head of a congregation, until he had
received a formal ordination.
A fully organized church was held to need, not only a
pastor, but also a teacher, a ruling elder, and at least tsvo
deacons. Both the pastor and the teacher were ordained,
and both were preachers — the former being considered to be
specially concerned with the conduct of the flock, and the
latter with their knowledge of divine truth; the ruling elder
was moderator of the church meetings, and in general its
executive officer; and the deacons cared especially for the
temporalities. But the source of all authority, under the one
Divine Head of all churches, our Lord Jesus Christ, was the
local church, and it was, at least in theory, the final court of
appeal. It seems certain that some of the churches never
had teachers or ruling elders, as distinct from pastors, one
man discharging all ministerial functions with such assist-
476
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ance as the deacons were qualified to give; certainly nearly
all after the first generation, and all after the second, were
content with the pastorate and the diaconate. The deacons,
it should be said, held office for life and were formally or-
dained.
In religious societies organized as were those of Connec-
ticut in its early days, there would almost certainly arise di-
versity of opinions, at least, in regard to usages and the de-
tails of church government. The settlement of Stamford in
1 64 1 was due to dissension in Wethersfield, the seven church
members being divided three against four; finally the min-
ister, Mr. Denton, with the minority of the people and the
church, sought a new home. A greater contention was that
which for some years (1653 to 1659) disturbed the peace
of the church in Hartford. Mr. Hooker had died in 1647,
and Mr. Stone, his colleague with the title of teacher, has
succeeded him as pastor; and a controversy sprang up be-
tween him and the ruling elder, Mr. Goodwin, "the true
original" of which, to use Cotton Mather's words, was "al-
most as obscure as the rise of Connecticut River." A large
minority withdrew from the communion of the church; and
the advice of councils within the two colonies here, that of
the ministers in Boston and its neighborhood, and even the
authority of the General Assembly of the Colony, were in-
voked in vain. Finally the ruling elder and his adherents
removed to Hadley, and the great quarrel was ended. Oth-
er churches had a somewhat similar experience.
But the most important topic of controversy, based on
theological principles and having far-reaching results, was
that as to the proper subjects for baptism. The strict theory
of the New England churches was that their membership
should be restricted to "visible saints," who could give proof
477
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
of their "regeneration" or conversion; and that only such
persons and their children might rightly be baptized. But
there were some in the community, as has been already said,
who were more inclined to follow the "parish-way" of the
Church of England; they were disposed to admit all persons
of good moral character, even if they had not had a definite
religious "experience," to church membership, and to give
their children the seal of the covenant in baptism. The chil-
dren of the first colonists were baptized in consequence of
their parents' church-membership; but few of them as they
grew up could satisfy the conditions for membership, and as
a consequence their children could not be presented for bap-
tism and received under the "watch and care" of the church.
The consequence was that there soon were many men and
women of blameless lives and religious habits for whom
there was no place in the churches, and that their children
were growing up without any connection with the coven-
ant or any acknowledged relation to the great Head of the
Church. It became a serious question whether the denial of
baptism to the children of parents themselves baptized but
not admitted to the Lord's Supper, which was demanded
by the strict Congregational theory, could be justified either
on principles or by its practical results in life. To meet this,
the so-called Half-way Covenant was devised, whereby bap-
tized adults of upright life, solemnly owning the Christian
covenant and putting themselves under the care of the
church, although they did not venture to ask communicant
privileges for themselves, might secure baptismal privileges
for their children. It was approved by an assembly of eld-
ers of New England meeting in Boston in 1657, but was
opposed by a strong minority of good men and learned theo-
logians, who felt it to be an abandonment of one of the chief
478
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
principles on which they had separated from the Church of
England. In 1666, Mr. Haynes, the younger of the two
pastors of the church in Hartford, undertook to put the
Half-way Covenant into practice, and Mr. Whiting, his
senior colleague, forbade him to proceed with the service.
Then followed a controversy of three years and a half, when
finally the General Court gave permission to Mr. Whiting
and thirty-one members of the church to organize for a
"distinct walking in Congregational order." It really pro-
vided for an anomaly, in allowing two churches or parishes
of the same territorial limits, differing in details of doctrine
or order, or both. The new or second church intended to
keep to strict Congregationalism; the first followed more
closely, as it would seem, in the spirit of its founders, even
if it failed to carry out all their teachings. But strange as
it may appear, before the controversy was well ended the
reason for it was forgotten, and the new organization at
once began the usage of the Half-way Covenant. It stood
therefore but for a short time as a protest against the "par-
ish-way," or what may be called the Presbyterianizing ten-
dency in Connecticut ecclesiastical matters. But in New Ha-
ven and elsewhere the protest was still made and maintained.
The articles of faith accepted and taught in Connecticut
in the early days were those which were held by the Pro-
testant reformers of Europe. The Westminster Confession,
so long recognized as a standard, was set forth by the As-
sembly of Divines in 1646; and two years later a council
which met at Cambridge in Massachusetts, and at which rep-
resentatives from Connecticut and New Haven were present,
accepted it in all matters of faith. A council at the Savoy
in London prepared such modifications of the Westminster
confession, in matters relating to church gov^ernment, as
479
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
would state the position held by the Congregationalists ; and
these also were accepted in 1680 by a council of New Eng-
land churches sitting in Boston. On the Congregational or
Independent theory, as has been said, each body of Christian
men and women, in covenant with Christ and each other,
was a complete church, with full powers of administration
and discipline. The churches, indeed, ought to be in com-
munion with each other; but the purpose of this communion
was mutual aid and encouragement, consultation, and if need
be admonition; the final responsibility was with the local
church, and the ecclesiastical unit was the church-member.
But this theory was not fully accepted by all. even in the early
days of our colony. There were some here, as then in
England, to whom the form of church organization and
government embodied in the Presbyterian confessions seemed
more in accord with the teaching of the New Testament,
and better suited for the needs of Christianity and of indi-
vidual Christians. And as, with the growth of the colony
both before and after the union, there was greater need for
co-operation and greater danger from dissension, there ap-
peared to be a demand for some closer organization in the
interests of harmony and unity. Voluntary conferences had
been held, and appeals had been made to the General Court
as having a sort of supreme authority; but neither course
of action had proved entirely satisfactory. As early as 1668
the General Court had desired four eminent ministers, one
from each county, to meet at Saybrook and devise a plan of
union for the churches of Connecticut; and again in 1703
an assembly was called, which gave consent to the doctrinal
confessions already named, and drew up rules for unity in
discipline. But the famous council which framed the Say-
brook Platform did not meet till 1708. It was summoned
480
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
by the General Court, and was composed of twelve ministers
and four lay delegates elected to represent the forty-one
churches of the congregational order in Connecticut. (In
fact, these were all the ecclesiastical organizations in the col-
ony, except one Episcopal parish in Stratford and one Bap-
tist society in Groton, both organized the year before.) This
council took no action in matters of doctrine, except to ex-
press its approval of the assent which had been given to the
Westminster Confession as modified by that of the Savoy,
declaring also that it accepted the doctrinal part of those
commonly called the Articles of the Church of England.
What was peculiar to it, and belongs distinctively to the Say-
brook Platform and to Connecticut ecclesiastical history, was
an organization of the churches for purposes of conference
and discipline. It was provided that the ministers in each
county should meet at least twice a year in Associations, to
consult on matters of common interest, to examine candidates
for the ministry and recommend suitable ministers for "be-
reaved churches," to provide for taking action in case any of
their members were accused of scandalous life or erroneous
teaching, and to act as a general board of appeal. There was
also to be a General Association of delegates from the Coun-
ty Associations, to which no legislative power was given, but
which was to serve for consultation on matters of general in-
terest.
The action of the council was reported to the General
Court (or Legislature), which immediately passed an act
accepting it and declaring that the churches united under
this agreement or platform should be henceforth estab-
lished by law ; adding, however, a proviso that no society al-
lowed by law which should "soberly differ or dissent" there-
fore should be hindered "from exercising worship and
481
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
discipline in their own way." The general effect of the
Saybrook Platform was to bring together the Congre-
gational and the Presbyterian elements in the Colony,
and to give to the body thus formed or united a strength
which could not have been otherwise secured. In spite of se-
rious opposition from some individuals and churches, it was
generally accepted and its authority recognized. There
were, however, some "strict Congregationalists," as they
called themselves, or "Separates" as they were usually de-
nominated, who declined to accede to the change, which they
thought to be in the direction of Presbyterianism, prelacy,
and popery. They, with Presbyterians who refused to con-
sociate, were not reckoned as dissenting "soberly," and were
treated with a good deal of severity; and, on their part, they
charged the established church with lack of fidelity to princi-
ple, and called its adherents Latitudinarians and Arminians.
The first church in Norwich renounced the Saybrook plat-
form in 17 1 7, but it does not seem to have been reckoned
among the "Separates." The act of establishment was
repealed in 1784.
For many years the financial support of the church in each
town was regarded as the duty of the whole community, and
the charges, like other public charges, were included in the
general taxation of the inhabitants. In the early days this
was not felt to be a burden ; but as time went on there were
some who from lack of interest in religious matters, and oth-
ers who on account of preferring some other ecclesiastical or-
ganization to that of the "Standing Order," as it was called,
felt the burden of a forced contribution to that for which
they did not care, or of which they did not approve. No re-
lief was given to the unbeliever, the indifferent, or the Sepa-
rate; but when "sober dissenters" appeared in sufficient num-
482
SAMUEL JOHNSON, D.D
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
bers to maintain services of their own, they were allowed,
under not unreasonable restrictions, to turn their ecclesiastical
taxes to the support of their own services. This was granted
to the Episcopalians in 1727, and to the Baptists and the
Quakers in 1729.
It has been already noted that a congregation of adherents
of the Church of England had been organized in Stratford in
1707 ; but it was somewhat closely connected with other par-
ishes of that body in the province of New York,
and attracted little attention from Connecticut people.
But at the Commencement of Yale College in 1722, the
community was startled at the announcement that the
two officers of instruction in that institution, the Rec-
tor and the Tutor, Mr. Timothy Cutler and Mr. Daniel
Brown, together with Mr. Samuel Johnson, a graduate and
former tutor, and another graduate, Mr. James Wetmore —
all Congregational ministers — had "declared for Episco-
pacy" and were about to sail for England to ask for ordi-
nation at the hands of a bishop. The three first named un-
dertook their voyage at once, and the fourth followed in the
next year. Mr. Brown died in England of the small-pox;
Dr. Cutler returned to become rector of a church in Bos-
ton; and Dr. Johnson became practically the founder and
really for a long time the maintainer of Episcopacy in Con-
necticut. Mr. Wetmore also labored in the colony of his
birth. About forty other Connecticut young men, all Col-
lege graduates, crossed the ocean before the Revolution, seek-
ing from bishops authority to preach the Word of God and
minister the sacraments. They gathered a goodly number
of adherents, and organized them into parishes throughout
the colony. It was for the relief of these Episcopalians,
when there were yet but few in number, that the act of 1727
483
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
was passed. Under its provisions, those members of the
Church of England who lived within a prescribed distance of
a house of worship of their own, and actually attended wor-
ship there, might have their ecclesiastical tax paid by the
town collector to their own clergyman instead of the min-
ister of the Standing Order. Those who lived at too great
a distance from any church of their own still paid their quota
to the common fund as before. This relief, extended to
other bodies as they became strong enough to ask for it, did
not touch the case of those who had no ecclesiastical connec-
tion, or (as was said above) of Separate Congregational-
ists. All who did not actually belong legally to some toler-
ated ecclesiastical society were reckoned, for purposes of tax-
ation, members of the societies connected with the established
associated churches; and this condition of things lasted until
the Constitution of Connecticut adopted in 1818 made it
possible for a man to leave one ecclesiastical society without
joining another.
The religious life of the colony was roused in 1740 by the
Great Awakening. There had been, it cannot be doubted, a
great declension in religion, the revival from which is traced
in its beginning to the preaching of the illustrious Jonathan
Edwards, a native of East Windsor, then pastor at North-
ampton in Massachusetts. His stern theology and power-
ful preaching, not without a winsomeness of character, had
a wonderful effect; and this was enhanced by the work of
George Whitefield, a man whose zeal often needed to be
tempered with judgment, and of the wildly fanatical James
Davenport. Their work was welcomed by some of the min-
isters; but presently the more sober among them, seeing the
disorders which followed this preaching and feeling the in-
justice of the denunciation of themselves and their teaching,,
484
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
protested and labored strongly against it, having the assist-
ance of the civil authority, which increased the penalties for
unlicensed preaching. Theologically the Great Awakening
was a recall to the Calvinism and the strict Congregation-
alism of early times; as such, it was welcomed by some but
opposed by most of the adherents of the Standing Order. It
made a division between the Old Lights, the former dom-
inant party, and the New Lights; the extremists among the
latter went into separate organizations, some of which later
affiliated with those from whom they had withdrawn, while
others conformed to the doctrines and practices of the Bap-
tists. A former controversy in Guilford, where the church
had not accepted the Saybrook Patform, had turned on per-
sonal rather than ecclesiastical preferences; but now the
celebrated Wallingford case was a controversy both theo-
logical and ecclesiastical, and was claimed as a victory for the
New Lights on Old Light principles; as such It must have
had some influence for unity in a time of division. But It was
long before the evil effects of this time of excitement passed
quite away.
This revival had an influence on the Indians as well as the
whites. There had been converts in the early days, the first
being Wequash, a sagamore who had acted as guide to Ma-
son's expedition against the Pequots; his conversion, It was
said, was due to the result of the campaign, when he found
the Englishmen's God stronger than the gods of their ene-
mies. It was believed that he came to his death from poison
given him by some of his own people who hated him as an
apostate.
About 1730 an effort was made, probably not for the first
time, to educate some of the Indians, a school for that pur-
pose being established at Farmlngton; and the General As-
485
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
sembly imposed a fine on any one having Indian children in
his family who failed to teach them the English language
and instruct them in the Christian faith. In the fall of 1733
a missionary named Jonathan Barber was sent to the Mo-
hegans, and he probably was still with them at the time of
the Great Awakening. The chief, Ben Uncas, became a
Christian, and thirteen of the Indians were admitted mem-
bers of the church in Lyme. From this tribe came the In-
dian convert who holds the most honored place in our an-
nals, Samson Occom. Inspired with a desire to become a
preacher to his own people, he entered Rev. Eleazar Whee-
lock's school at Lebanon in 1743, when he was towards
twenty years of age, and became fluent in the English tongue,
besides gaining a fair knowledge of Latin, Greek, and He-
brew. For ten years he taught the Montauk Indians and
preached to them as a licensed minister, and in 1759 he was
ordained by the presbytery of Suffolk. Meanwhile Mr.
Wheelock's school had became a missionary training-school
for Indians; and as, owing to the stress of the times, it was
difficult to obtain needed help for it, Occom was sent to
England in 1766 with Rev. Nathaniel Wheeler, that he
might be a living example of what Christianity could do for
the American Indians. His appearance and his eloquent and
forcible way of speaking and preaching attracted much at-
tention; and he collected some £10,000 for Mr. Wheelock's
project, among the contributors being King George III. and
Lord Dartmouth. In the advancing years he removed with
a band of Indians to Oneida County, New York, where he
died in 1792. With the funds which he brought from
Great Britain, a school for Indians was established in New
Hampshire, from which sprang Dartmouth College.
S. H.
486
CHAPTER XXVII
The Colonial Jurisprudence
THE name of the colony is taken from that of
the river, which is Indian, meaning "the long
river." The discrepancy of the spelling from
the pronunciation, which disturbs our Eng-
lish cousins greatly, is the most natural thing
in the world. Our ancestors had two things to do with the
Indian name, — to write it and to spell it; and, like sensible
and illogical Englishmen, did not allow one to interfere with
the other. The nearest approach an English throat could
make to the Indian sounds is probably about Kwon-egh-
te-kut, the second syllable representing a very rough and
harsh guttural sound has no counterpart in English. In
speaking, it was simply dropped; in writing it was repre-
sented by the English guttural available, the k sound. Nei-
ther spelling nor pronunciation corresponds to the original;
but of the two, the latter comes the nearer, as a total sup-
pression of the sound has more similitude than the one of k.
The first was often given its full phonetic equivalent "qu,"
rarely as "K," more usually "C."
The colonial records and other sources furnish us Quin-
niticut, Quinnihticut, Quinnehtukut, Quoneketacut, and Quo-
nahtucut, — the latter seemingly the nearest to accuracy, — Ke-
neticut, Conecticutt, Conecticot, Conecticotte, Conetcoit, and
Connetticote ; the nearest to the present spelling is one with
but one n in the first syllable. It is impossible to tell at what
date the present spelling became uniform, as in many of the
transcripts from the original records the modern orthography
has been adopted.
The legislative and judicial power of the colony was
vested in the General Court, which had no check on its
authority except the provision that its acts were not to be
contrary to the laws of England. It had absolute power
489
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
within these lines over life, liberty, and property; the real
check being Its election and that of the magistrates by the
body of freemen.
On its formation its membership consisted of four depu-
ties from each of the towns of Hartford, Windsor, and
Wethersfield; and at Its last session before the union of the
colonies of Connecticut and New Haven, there were present
six magistrates and twenty-five deputies.
Before the adoption of the Fundamental Orders, the Gen-
eral Court organized what became known as a "Particular
Court" for the trial of persons charged with misdemeanors;
the personnel of this court is traditional, though It undoubt-
edly consisted of a majority of the magistrates. Though no
mention of Its existence appears In the Fundamental Orders,
it continued holding Its session at Irregular times until May
1642, when it was enacted that It should meet only once in
three months, and thereafter was known as the "Quarter
Court." The earliest record of the definite formation of this
court Is in May 1647, when the General Court enacted that it
should consist of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and two
magistrates; and in the absence of the executive officers, three
magistrates could hold court. The jurisdiction of this tri-
bunal extended to all minor disputes. It was purely judicial
in its construction, though Its functions included all subjects
of legal controversy, both civil and criminal ; while it was a
court of appeals for the inferior judicial tribunals, its de-
cisions could be carried on appeal to the General Court. In
civil cases, where the amounts involved exceeded forty shil-
lings, the trial at the discretion of the magistrates could be
submitted to a jury of six or twelve, and two-thirds of their
number could render a legal verdict; if in the opinion of the
magistrates the verdict was not in accordance with the testi-
490
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
mony, they could require the jury to reconsider its decision,
or they could impanel another. In suits for damages, if the
magistrates deemed the sum allowed exorbitant or inade-
quate, they had power to alter it. As early as 1643 pro-
visions were made for a grand jury; and as the magistrates
received only fees for their services, a statute was passed
making it obligatory for persons to pay the costs of the pros-
ecutions before leaving court, or suffer imprisonment.
The inferior judicial bodies were limited in their jurisdic-
tion to the boundaries of the township, and were designated
as town courts; their members consisted of five or seven men,
who were called principal men, afterwards known as select-
men. These were elected annually, and one of their mem-
bers was chosen Moderator, his presence being required to
constitute a quorum. Their judicial powers were limited to
claims of debt and trespass where the amount involved was
less than forty shillings, and before execution was issued the
case could be appealed. Sessions of the town courts were
held once in two months, and in case of a tie the moderator
was empowered to cast the deciding vote. These three
courts, the Town, Quarter, and General, were the judicial
tribunals of the colony before the granting of the charter.
There were no radical changes made by the new charter,
although the General Court became the General Assembly,
which name It has since retained. The General Assembly
enjoyed the same supreme power as Its predecessor, and the
same formal style of an enacting clause was retained, as fol-
lows: "Be it enacted by the Governor and Council and
House of Representatives in General Court assembled." It
had the sole power of dissolving itself; and by the revision
of the statutes in 1672 it asumed the right of filling its own
vacancies, also of granting reprieves, pardons, and jail suspen-
491
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
sions. Monopolies and trusts were not allowed unless prof-
itable to the country : a sufficiently large loophole.
Marriage was considered as a civil contract, and divorces
were the prerogative of the Assembly; separations were al-
lowed, by the enactment of a law in 1677, for adultery, fraud-
ulent consent willful desertion for three years with neglect
of duty, and seven years' absence, certification of the facts
being required. These were very liberal divorce laws, when
it is remembered that most Christian countries barely toler-
ated it, and that the Scriptures specify adultery as the only
cause.
On ecclesiastical subjects the Assembly was the fountain-
head of laws, their privilege extended even to choosing sites
for meeting-houses. Their sessions were semi-annual, and
on the consolidation of the two colonies it was proposed that
they should be held alternately in Hartford and New Ha-
ven; this did not receive the sanction of those interested in
the latter city till 1701, and from that year the May As-
sembly was held at Hartford, the October Assembly at New
Haven. The dual capital was not abolished till 1876.
The first meeting-place of the General Assembly was a
square frame meeting-house, situated on the southeast cor-
ner of the present City Hall Square at Hartford. In 17 19
the first assembly house was built on the west side of the
square, having one entrance on Main Street and another on
Central Row; the appropriation for it was the result of an
agreement between the rival capitals. The sales of un-
granted lands had netted £1,500, and £650 was appropriated
to build a colonial assembly-house at Hartford, and to ap-
pease New Haven, £500 was donated to Yale College. This
building continued to be occupied for legislative purposes till
492
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
1795 ; the cupola was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1783,
at the celebration following the peace with England.
The old "Particular Court" or "Quarter Court," after the
securing of the charter, became known as the Court of As-
sistants, and consisted of the Governor or Deputy Gover-
nor, who was the presiding officer, and at least six assistants.
It had original cognizance over all crimes relating to life,
limb, or banishment, and appellate jurisdiction over all
cases; its powers were enlarged by assigning to it all di-
vorce cases, and in 1681 it was invested with the duties of a
Court of Admiralty. The court consisted of seven mem-
bers, of whom five were a quorum; and it was so closely
identified with the upper house of the Legislature, that its
semi-annual session was held one week before the convening
of the General Assembly. For the first thirty-five years of
its existence the court terms were held at Hartford, but after
1 70 1 they alternated between that town and New Haven.
It v/as found inconvenient and expensive, however, to hold
only two sessions a year at only two points; and in May
171 1, by an act of the General Assembly its successor the
Superior Court was created.
By the organization of the Court of Assistants, only a
small part of the business belonging to the Particular Court
was provided for, and other judicial tribunals were needed.
The colony was first divided into counties in 1665, and in the
following year county courts were instituted; their personnel
consisted of three assistants, or at least one assistant and two
commissioners who later became known as justices of the
peace. In 1698 it was enacted that four freemen should be
justices, three of whom, with a presiding judge appointed
by the General Assembly, should constitute a court; and in
absence of the legislative appointees, three justices were em-
493
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
powered to act. The jurisdiction of the county court was
limited to granting letters of administration, probating wills,
civil cases, — real, personal, or mixed, — and all criminal cases
not pertaining to life, limb, banishment, adultery, or divorce;
in 17 1 2 its duties were enlarged, and in association with the
grand jurors it could levy taxes upon each town in the
county.
The duties of the county court were lightened in 17 16,
and courts of probate were established in each county; to
their jurisdiction were delegated all cases pertaining to the
administration of estates and probating of wills; there was
an appeal to the higher courts, from all the decisions ren-
dered by these inferior courts.
On the organization of the Superior Court it consisted of
four judges, of whom three were a quorum, and two terms
were to be held annually in each of the counties; its jurisdic-
tion was similar to the Court of Assistants. It had cog-
nizance of all pleas to the Crown, matters relating to the
conserving of peace and the punishment of offenders, as well
as civil cases brought before it by appeal, review, writs of
error, or otherwise. The General Assembly having the pow-
er by its rules to invest other judicial tribunals with its au-
thority, as cases accumulated on its docket a channel was
sought to relieve itself of its multiplicity of business. The
superior court was the most convenient tribunal of justice,
and in consequence, the General Assembly gradually enlarged
its functions. On the court's organization its jurisdiction was
limited to civil cases involving £100; this was soon increased
to £450, in 1768 to £800, and in 1784 to £1,600. The county
courts' jurisdiction in 1762 was increased from £20 to £100.
Both the superior and county courts were granted the power
494
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
of ordering new trials for mispleading, new evidence, and
other reasonable causes.
In the middle of the eighteenth century, a curious struggle
took place between the established and essential democratic
methods of inheritance, and an attempt to install feudalism
in Connecticut. Primogeniture and democracy are obviously
contradictions in terms : the latter rests on general equality
of opportunities, though not of condition. Of course in-
equalities could be constituted by will in New England, but
the feeling was against them. But since, In the absence of
specific law, the estates of intestates were settled on the Eng-
lish principle, the eldest son taking all the real estate, Mas-
sachusetts in 1692 and Connecticut in 1699 passed acts pro-
viding for the equal distribution of such estates, save a double
share to the eldest son. This was confirmed by an English
Order in Council, permitting all colonial laws to remain in
force till disallowed by the Crown. The Intestate Estates
Act was respected till 1724, when John Winthrop of New
London, son of General Wait Still and grandson of Gover-
nor John Winthrop, contested it. He was administrator of
the estate of his father, as well as that of his uncle Fitz John;
his sister's husband, Thomas Lechmere of Boston, brought
suit for the daughter's share. Winthrop took the ground
that the Connecticut act was invalid as contrary to English
law, under which real estate belonged to none but the heir-
at-law, and administrators had no concern with it. The Con-
necticut Superior Court made short work of this denial of
its basis of existence, ousted him from the administratorship,
and appointed Lechmere and his wife instead. Winthrop
petitioned the General Assembly to cancel the decision and
restore his rights, threatening an appeal to the King in Coun-
cil; the Assembly dismissed the petition; Winthrop pro-
495
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
tested, and was summoned before the Assembly for con-
tempt. He Insulted that body like another Randolph, declar-
ing himself its peer as standing under English law, and per-
petually interrupting the Governor; was committed to the
custody of the sherift, "escaped" that night, and was fined in
absence. Making his way to England, he obtained from
the Council, Feb. 15, 1727-8, a decree sustaining him and
annulling the Intestate Estates Law. The colony, which had
not been heard, instructed its agent to defend the case, and
sent petitions to the home government to allow the act to
continue, and at least to validate the acts of the probate
courts previous to the decision. No help could be had, and
the colony was in sore distress. Not only was a large quan-
tity of property thrown into possible litigation, but the char-
ter itself was merely waste paper; its existence was a farce
If It had no power except to transfer English law and custom
bodily to Connecticut. The colony, however, acted with Its
characteristic resolution not to let the records show any more
legal precedents against itself than It could help. WInthrop's
case was beyond repair; but as far as possible intestate cases
were settled out of court, and If not, the appeals from the
Probate to the Superior Court were continued from term to
term. Connecticut was waiting Its chance; a few years later
it came. One Glllam Phillips of Boston appealed to the
King in Council against the equal division of his property un-
der the Massachusetts law; but the latter was sustained In
Phillips vs. Savage. But the Massachusetts was the same as
the Connecticut law, and the Connecticut charter gave it a
far freer hand than the Massachusetts system : why the dif-
ference? It would seem that the reasons alleged for Lech-
mere's failure, a lawyer inexperienced In such cases and lack
of court influence, were really to blame. In May 1742 a
496
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
promising case arose In Milford, Clark vs. Tousey, the for-
mer claimed to be heir-at-law as Winthrop had, and sued
against an equal division. The Assembly voted Tousey £500
to go to Great Britain and defend his case; the agent, Ell-
akim Palmer, was instructed to employ solicitors and aid him
in every way possible. This time the colony was successful:
on July 18, 1745, Clark's suit was dismissed. Primogeni-
ture was cast out from New England.
The origin of the public seal of Connecticut is told in an
unpublished paper written in 1759 by Roger Wolcott. From
statements made to him by his stepfather Daniel Clark, sec-
retary of the colony 1658-66, it Is there stated that the seal
was a present from George Fenwick to the colony ; the oldest
extant Impression is preserved in the State Library, on a com-
mission of John Winthrop as magistrate of Namcock (New
London), and bears the date of Oct. 27, 1647. The State
archives contain three poor wax Impressions of this seal,
which Is slightly oval In form, and has a beaded border;
upon it is a vineyard of fifteen vines supported and bearing
fruit; above them a hand issues from the clouds, holding
a label with the motto "Sustlnet Qui Transtullt."
There was no change in the seal made by the first General
Assembly, and the first printed edition of the revision of the
statutes of Connecticut, published at Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts, In 1673, bears its impression on the title-page; all
other editions of the statutes during the colonial existence of
the colony bear the royal arms. It Is asserted In Bulkley's
"Will and Doom," that on Sir Edmund Andros' assuming
control of the government, the seal was delivered to him by
John Allyn, secretary of the colony. This statement Is
partly substantiated by the fact that on the resumption of the
charter government, the Impression of the seal used varies
497
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
considerably from the first one; being larger and not so well
cut, the hand bent downwards, and in the first syllable of the
last word of the motto the N is missing. It is more than
probable that it was a temporary wooden substitute for the
original seal.
The General Assembly in 171 1 ordered a new seal, which
was to be kept in the office of the secretary of the colony; it
was considerably larger than its predecessor, measuring 2 1-8
inches in length and i 3-4 inches in breadth. Instead of
fifteen vines, there were only three; and there was a hand
about midway, on the dexter side, pointing to them; the
motto was on a label below the vines, and read "Qui Tran-
stulit Sustinet," and around the circumference was the legend
"Sigillum Coleniae Connecticensis." In making impressions,
wax was generally used until about 1784, when a new seal
was approved by the General Assembly; in this, which was
larger by a quarter of an inch in length and an eighth of an
inch in breadth than its predecessor, the hand was omitted,
and the inscription around the circumference was abbrevi-
ated to "Sigill. Reip. Connecticutensis." This seal was en-
graved on a silver plate, which was presented to Yale Col-
lege.
The present seal was ordered by the General Assembly in
1842, and was engraved on brass; in comparison with its
predecessors it is of superior workmanship. It has three
clusters of grapes on each v^ine, the one preceding it having
had four clusters on each of the upper v^ines and five on the
lower. The legend around the circumference is spelled in
full; the motto remains unchanged.
The armorial bearings of Connecticut would be blazoned
thus: argent, three vines supplanted and fruited proper, —
that is, the field is white or silver, and the vines of their natu-
498
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ral color; the vines symbolize the colony brought over and
planted here in the wilderness. Referring to the Bible, we
find in the eightieth psalm the verse, "Thou hast brought a
vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the heathen and plant-
ed it." The translation of the motto is "He who transplant-
ed still sustains."
499
CHAPTER XXVIII
The Internal Developments of the Colony
IN an age when the extension of cIvIHzation could pro-
ceed only by dispossessing or assuming authority
over barbarians, no question of the rightfulness of
slavery was likely to arise. Aristotle says that it
exists "by the law of nature," and such was the uni-
versal assumption in the seventeenth century; not only so,
but it was believed a providential institution for the elevation
of the blacks themselves of course with occasional accidents
and limitations. There was no reason why the New Eng-
land colonists should invent a new doctrine of ethics, and
they took their share in the traffic to Africa, and the holding
of slaves for domestic servants; attempt was made to apply
the system to Indian captives, but fortunately for New Eng-
land they were found intractable and unteachable. The cler-
gy and magistracy of Connecticut and New Haven were
slave-owners, as evidenced by the inventories of their estates.
It was in 1637 that Hugh Peters, in corresponding with
John Winthrop, Jr., says that he "hears of a dividend of
Indian women and children from the Pequot captives, and he
would like a share." In the following year, Connecticut's
Pilgrim pioneer, William Holmes, in conveying his real
estate and other possessions to Matthew Allyn, mentions ser-
vants as a salable commodity; this may mean slaves or in-
dentured servants. The shipments of Pequot captives, and
later those of other Indian nations, to the West Indies to be
sold to the planters, will be remembered. There were a few
instances in Connecticut where planters owned a number of
slaves, but in most cases the holdings were small, ranging
from two to ten in a family. The imported negroes were
easily converted to their master's religious belief, and "the
African Corner" was an established feature of the colonial
meeting-house.
503
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
In the early part of the eighteenth century, the price of
slaves varied from 60s. to £25, but towards the middle of the
century the value increased from £75 to £125 sterling. A
negro maid in Hartford in 1650 was inventoried as being
worth £25; and John Allyn, the secretary of the colony,
thirty years later in reporting to the Board of Trade and
Plantations, says there were very few servants in the colony,
and about thirty slaves who had been imported from Barba-
does, at £22 each. The slave trade was usually carried on
clandestinely, not for moral reasons but for smuggling.
The records show that Rev. Ezra Stiles sent a barrel of rum
to the coast of Africa to be exchanged for a negro ; this was
before he became president of Yale College. A Connecticut
clergyman, while filling the executive chair of the colony, de-
cided that the offspring of a negro bond-woman was born
into servitude. A fugitive-slave law was enforced by the
colony, by which a slave found without a pass from his mas-
ter or the colonial authorities was prohibited from traveling,
and any person assisting him in securing transportation, was
subject to a fine of twenty shillings. The master was re-
quired to provide for his slaves in old age, to prevent eman-
cipating them and throwing them on the town.
The town of New London in 1 7 1 7 became greatly agi-
tated at the prospect of Robert Jacklen, a gentleman of color,
becoming a bondholder in that township; at a town meet-
ing, it was decided to petition the General Assembly to pass
an act prohibiting negroes from purchasing land without
first obtaining consent from the town. The gradual eman-
cipation of the negro, his valiant services in the Revolution,
with a narrative of the black governors, are topics that will
be treated in a subsequent volume.
That Connecticut was the site of valuable mineral deposits
504
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
was an early belief of its exploiters; the reservation by the
Earl of Warwick, in the original patent, of a tithe of the gold
products, was only "common form" and safeguarding the
future, but the obtaining by Governor Winthrop in 165 i of
a license to prosecute mining is more to the point. In 1661
Winthrop prospected in the neighborhood of Middletown.
An argentiferous lead mine must have been worked in that
locality by skilled miners; for some two centuries later, on
reopening the mine about fifteen hundred feet of excavation,
well timbered and in good preservation, were found. While
Winthrop was governor he made frequent excursions to dif-
ferent localities in search of minerals, especially to a moun-
tain located in the northwest corner of the present town of
East Haddam; he was generally accompanied by a servant,
and is known to have spent three weeks at a time on these
expeditions, although he never derived any special advantages
from the mineral privileges granted him.
The mining industries of Connecticut lay dormant for
over half a century, when outcroppings of copper were dis-
covered at Simsbury and Wallingford. The General Assem-
bly in 1709 granted the first charter in America to a mining
company; this organization was formed to work the mine at
Simsbury. The product was of a vitreous and variegated
copper with some malachite; it was found in beds, strings,
and bunches, embedded in a red sandstone formation, in
contact with the gneiss and granitic rocks. The proprietors
of the mine sent to Germany for miners, and the ore was
shipped to England; it assayed from fifteen to twenty per
cent, of pure copper, intermixed with sprinklings of gold and
silver; but it was refractory in the smelter, owing to an ex-
cess of quartz, and though it was in great demand for alloy
by jewellers, the cost of production bankrupted the specula-
505
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
tors. The copper was coined into currency, known as Gran-
by coppers, from the town where the mint was located. An
attempt was made to work the Wallingford mines; but on
the sinking of a shaft, they became so inundated with wa-
ter that it was abandoned.
In the middle of the eighteenth century the Simsbury mines
were purchased by the colony and utilized as a prison; and
though mining with convict labor was attempted, it proved
unprofitable. It was used during the Revolution for the in-
carceration of Tory prisoners; and though much has been
written of the sufferings they endured while in captivity, they
were not to be compared with the treatment of the Ameri-
cans in the English prison hulks in New York harbor.
Winthrop's explorations in natural science led him to all
parts of the colony. All over its hilly sections quartz was
found impregnated with iron ore, and attempts were vari-
ously made to work it ; but the chief deposit was in the Berk-
shires, the largest being at the northwestern corner of the
colony. In 1730 mines were first opened at Salisbury, where
was an abundance of rich ore, while the adjacent forests fur-
nished the required charcoal. Mines were operated in
Sharon and Kent; the ore, like that from Salisbury, was a
brown hematite, a hard dark form of limonite. This ore
differed from that found in the eastern part of the colony,
which was known as bog ore, was found deposited through-
out Tolland and Windham Counties, and was mined and
smelted in the early colonial days, although it has long since
become unprofitable. On the shores of Long Island Sound,
between Stonington and New Haven, a quantity of magnetite
was found ; but though it was smelted, the undertaking did
not prove remunerative. The mine at Salisbury was an im-
portant factor during the War of Independence; the iron
506
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
ranked foremost in quality, and was utilized in the manufac-
ture of cannon, heavy chains, gun-barrels, and other military
equipments. While iron and copper were the important ores
mined in the colony, lead, zinc, bismuth, arsenic, nickel, and
cobalt, besides other rare and less useful metals, were dis-
covered.
The cause of New England's early development of manu-
facturing, besides its farming, probably resulted from a com-
bination of factors. The early exhaustion of first-rate agri-
cultural lands, the costliness of imported manufactures, the
scarcity of hired service which developed the handiness of
everybody and the invention of labor-saving appliances, the
abundant water-power from mountain streams, and a picked
colonization of resourceful men, doubtless all co-operated in
stimulating domestic manufactures, and presently manufac-
turers for export. The "protective" laws by which the home
governmentcrippled them could not be endured as successfully
as the corresponding commercial laws, or a manufacturing
shop must remain in one place; but there was a considerable
growth despite them.
In 1732, Parliament in response to a petition forbade the
exportation of hats manufactured in the colonies to any
locality, even neighboring plantations. The production was
also controlled by allowing a manufacturer only two appren-
tices, who served seven years in learning their trade. The
iron industries of the colonies were next assailed. The Eng-
lish manufacturers were willing that the colonists should pro-
duce pig and even bar iron, to provide them raw materials,
but no developed products. In the middle of the eighteenth
century Parliament passed a bill prohibiting the erection or
continuance of any mill in the colonies for the slitting or
rolling of iron or the making of steel, or of a plating forge to
507
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
work with a tilt hammer, under a penalty of £200; the mills
were declared a nuisance, and if not abolished in thirty days
after the passage of the act, were to forfeit £500.
One of Connecticut's first ventures was the establishment
of iron works at New Haven. The assembly and towns
remitted taxes to those who erected furnaces, and in 17 16
a slitting mill was given by the legislature a legal monopoly
of the business for a term of fifteen years. Ironmongery,
however, was generally confined to people in the winter va-
cations from farming, and evenings, and was practically
all domestic, the chief surplus for exportation being nails.
The home spinning and weaving of the colonists produced
a plain homespun cloth and durable linens; though they were
coarser, they were stronger in texture than the imported.
In 1732 began that most enduring of bubbles, the attempt
at silk culture, with which was connected what was not a bub-
ble, the silk manufacture. One of the earliest planters of
mulberry trees was Governor Jonathan Law; he introduced
the raising of silkworms on his extensive farm at Cheshire,
and appeared in public in 1747 in the first coat and stockings
made of Connecticut silk. The following year Ezra Stiles,
at the commencement at Yale College, was appareled in a
gown of the same. The present foundation of the immense
silk interest of Connecticut is due to Dr. Aspinwall of Mans-
field, who permanently established the enterprise in that and
the neighboring towns.
The commerce of the American colonies was confined, by
edicts of the mother country, to Great Britain and that part
of the continent south of Cape Finisterre. It was in 1662
that Charles II. 's colonial board directed that sugar, tobacco,
cotton, wool, indigo, ginger, fustic, and other dyeing woods,
should only be exported to the parent country or her prov-
508
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
inces. Two years later It attempted to control the shipping
of the colonial imports, by ordering that they must be sent
direct from England, Wales, or Berwick-on-Tweed ; excep-
tions being made of salt which could be shipped from any
part of Europe, wines from Madeira and the Azores, and
provisions from Scotland. The vessels engaged in the trade
were to be of English bottom, and to be manned by a crew
three-quarters of whom were to be of native birth.
The trade between the colonies was subject to no restric-
tion till 1672, when England placed a duty on white sugar
of five shillings, on brown sugar of one shilling six pence per
one hundred pounds, on tobacco and indigo one penny, on
cotton and wool a halfpenny on the pound. At the same time
molasses, tar, pitch, turpentine, hemp, mast-yards, bowsprits,
copper, ore, rice, beaver-skins, and other furs, were added
to the exportation act of 1662. The New England colonies
were engaged in a lucrative commercial trade, in grain, fish,
lumber, horses, mules, and cattle, with the French, Spanish,
and Dutch West Indies; for these commodities they received
in exchange, sugar, rum, and molasses. In response to a de-
mand of the English sugar planters. Parliament increased
the duties on these articles to a prohibitory degree. A set
of drawbacks, however, carefully rectified this, and the col-
onies rectified it still further by paying no attention to it.
In the Connecticut colony's report to the Board of Trade
and Plantations in 1730, in answer to their queries, we find
that the merchant marine fleets of the colony consisted of
forty-two ships, aggregating over thirteen hundred tonnage.
The largest of these was sixty tons, the smallest twelve. The
ownership was divided among seventeen towns: New Lon-
don and New Haven owned five each; Hartford, Guilford,
and Norwich, four each; Saybrook and Stratford, three
509
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
each; Greenwich, KiUlngworth, Middletown, and Milford,
two each; and Haddam, Branford, Norwalk, Wethersfield,
Fairfield, and Lyme, one each. The foreign exportations
were Hmited to a few voyages to Ireland with timber; a few
ships and cargoes had been sold at Bristol, England, while
a small trade had been carried on with the West Indies in ex-
porting horses and lumber, which were exchanged for su-
gar, salt, molasses, and rum. The surplus of provisions, tar,
and turpentine, had been shipped to the neighboring colo-
nies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.
The French interfered more or less with the foreign trade
which had been established by the colonists; but West India
voyages and privateering partially made up for commerce.
The importation of English merchandise consisted of
all kinds of woolen cloths, silks, scythes, nails, glass,
pewter, brass, firearms, and cutlery; and while a small por-
tion of this was imported direct, the greater quantity was ob-
tained by exchanging surplus food products with Boston and
New York. The natural products of the colony were timber,
English grass, Indian corn, flax, hemp, tobacco, horses, cat-
tle, sheep, and swine. There were tradesmen, tanners, shoe-
makers, sailors, joiners, smiths, and carpenters among the
inhabitants.
Connecticut in 1753 had eight convenient shipping ports,
though all masters entered and cleared at New London,
where there were large shipbuilding interests; smaller vessels
were built at Saybrook, Killingworth, and New Haven. An
estimate of the ocean trade of Connecticut can be arrived at
by taking one year, 1749-50, as an illustration; there were
cleared from the port of New London sixty-three brigantines,
sloops, and schooners, while thirty-seven entered.
In the next decade there was a gradual increase in the
510
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
shipping interests: there were employed in the ocean car-
rying trade seventy-four ships with over 3,100 tonnage; the
v^essels were manned by 415 seamen, but one having a crew
of ten, while five had eight, the balance being distributed
among the merchant service in crews of from three to seven.
The foreign trade was limited to the British Isles and West
Indies, with a few cargoes of fish to Lisbon and the Medi-
terranean. The value of the British manufactured goods
consumed by the colonists was estimated at £50,000, and the
natural products of the colony aggregated £130,000. The
excellence of Connecticut beef and pork, created a ready de-
mand in the neighboring colonies.
Shipbuilding had become a fixed industry, and Great
Britain had purchased a number of vessels from the colonists.
The shipping interests of the colony steadily increased, and
in 1761 there were 114 ships in commission; while the ex-
ported products amounted to £150,000, and the mother
country was assured that nothing had been done hurtful to
her interests. This was true, though not in just the way
England intended. Systematic evasion of her orders had
built up a great trade, of which her share was much larger
than the whole she intended to keep by preventing its growth.
These answers of Connecticut are masterly in the art of ex-
plaining how, with the most ardent loyalty and the most
anxious solicitude to obey the home government's require-
ments, it has somehow been impossible to comply.
In the last report made by Connecticut to the Board of
Trade and Plantations, just prior to the beginning of the
Revolutionary hostilities, we find that the shipping interests
showed a healthy increase, and the exporting trade of the
colony had materially increased her wealth. The merchant
marine service had increased to 180 vessels, with a tonnage
511
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
exceeding 10,000, and employment was given to 1,200 sea-
men; this showed an increase in the last decade of 66 vessels,
or over 50 per cent., while the tonnage had doubled. The
principal trade was in horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, food pro-
ducts, and lumber, with the French and Dutch West Indies;
to the north of Africa was shipped flour and lumber, while
Gibraltar bought quantities of New England rum ; the ex-
ports to these localities aggregated £55,00 annually. Eng-
land was a customer for lumber and pot and pearl ashes to
the amount of £10,000, while flaxseed was exported to Ire-
land. The importation of articles of English manufacture
amounted yearly to about £200,000; there were few direct
importations, as the Boston and New York merchants were
the principal wholesalers of the supplies for the colony.
There was, besides the ships engaged in foreign trade, a
fleet of twenty small coasting vessels, employing a crew of
ninety seamen. The natural products of the colony were all
kinds of timber, wheat, rye, Indian corn, beans, barley, oats,
flax, pork, beef, pot and pearl ashes.
Transportation throughout the colony had outgrown the
canoe and pack-horse, but was still in a primitive state; the
roads were mostly little more than bridle-paths, and had not
arrived at the dignity of highways. The seacoast and several
rivers of Connecticut formed an uninterrupted passageway
for travel; this was one cause of its relatively dense popu-
lation, and of immense value of its internal and external com-
merce. Journeys of any distance were performed on horse-
back; and though some of the colonists were owners of pairs
of horses and private coaches, traveling vehicles of every
description were the luxury of a few.
The early postal facilities in the colonies were limited to
personal accommodation ; a monthly mail was established in
512
CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY
1672 between New York and Boston, which thirty years later
was changed to a fortnightly one. The end of the seven-
teenth century saw the appointment of Thomas Neale by the
English government, to take charge of the colonial postal
business; he evolved a system of a sort, but there was no per-
ceptible improvement till 1704, when the British government
reorganized the service and placed it under the control of a
postmaster-general for America, with fixed rates of postage.
The mail had been carried on horseback between Boston
and New York, being on alternate fortnights; the relay
stations being Hartford and Saybrook. The post roads were
in bad condition, and the riders and postmasters had not the
best reputations for honesty. In the first part of the eighteenth
century, horseback riding and baggage wagons in England
gave way to public traveling in stage coaches; these had
been in limited use for over a century, but did not at once
become popular. Their universal use in the parent country
was speedily followed by their introduction into the New
World. 7^-avel and the transportation of the mail demanded
the establishment of a stage route between Boston, New
York, and Philadelphia. Connecticut's seaboard inhab-
itants had every intercourse with her sister colonies;
but her internal population, until the establishment of
these avenues of communication, was isolated. The open-
ing of the Revolutionary War found the internal transport
between the colonies still in a state of infancy, which was a
bar to the prompt execution of the plans of the authorities.
The v^enerable William Pitkin was the successful candidate
for governor in the memorable political campaign of 1766,
when Governor Fitch was punished for his conduct regard-
ing the Stamp Act; so heavy was Fitch's defeat that it was
currently reported the votes were not counted because Pit-
513
CONNECTICUT AS COLONY AND STATE
kin's majority was too large to make it worth while. Gov-
ernor Pitkin was born in what is now East Hartford, April
20, 1694. Early in life he became identified with the po-
litical affairs of the colony, both in legislative and judicial
capacities. He was of a commanding personal appearance,
very affable and pleasing in manner; an uncompromising
advocate of the colonial cause and a zealous promoter of the
welfare of Connecticut. Governor Pitkin was elected for
three terms, and died Oct. i, 1769, before the completion of
his last term of office.
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